I read the Tenth of December and found it terrific. This one threw me off for a time--it seemed oddly simple for Saunders. A "writing fox" describes the brutality/wonder of modern life. Nothing new. But . . . this would be a great short story for middle school and even high school kids. It's clever linguistically, it's funny, and it's got food for thought. I was lucky enough to use Junior Great Books when I taught, and I'd say that Fox 8: A Story is a perfect fit for that series. Teachers will love it; kids will love it. I hope it finds those readers.
Weakest. Tommy is in prison. His son, Ryan, is now 17. Catherine the cop's sister, Clare, takes Ryan to visit Tommy in prison, without telling Catherine. Not good. Sisters have a break when Catherine finds out. Plot two: PE teacher, abusive to wife. She is getting drugs from local Indian/Pakistani pharmacist. Husband finds out and has wife arrested! Pharmacist worried . . . plots to kill husband. Wife agrees, then changes her mind. Pharmacist in a rage kills her. (All a bit of a stretch, as he is a mild mannered family man.) Tommy escapes from his court hearing, hides out, gets in touch with Ryan. Plan is to go to Marabella, Spain together. Tommy's "helpers" get worried about Tommy and decide to do him in. Instead, he kills them . . . and is knifed himself. He returns to Catherine's house, looks through a photo album showing Catherine took good care of Ryan, and decides not to kill her....
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