'The Fox Womanis a wonderfully evocative and gripping novel, a book that will stay with you and resonate in your heart long after the final page is turned.' -Charles de Lint 'The Fox Womanis a magnificent book, powerfully and profoundly moving, in its moods and atmosphere, utterly magical, a genuine and unique work of high art. But it is also a story about people trying to understand each other and the times they live in, people trying to see through illusions to confront the truth of who they are. A historically accurate fantasy, it gives us a glimpse into, and an understanding of, the history that shaped the people of one of our world's greatest nations. The Fox Woman is a powerful first novel, singing with lyrical prose and touching the deepest emotions. And in the making (and breaking) of oaths and honors, the patterns of their lives will be changed forever. She sees him slipping away and is determined to win him back from the wild.for all that she has her own fox-related secret. She is confused by his fascination with the creatures of the wood, and especially the foxes that she knows in her heart are harbingers of danger. Shikujo is Yoshifuji's wife, ashamed of her husband, yet in love with him and uncertain of her role in his world. She comes to love him and will do anything to become a human woman to be with him.

Kitsune is a young fox who is fascinated by the large creatures that have suddenly invaded her world. A misstep at court forces him to retire to his long-deserted country estate, to rethink his plans and contemplate the next move that might return him to favor and guarantee his family's prosperity. Yoshifuji is a man fascinated by foxes, a man discontented and troubled by the meaning of life. Johnson brings the setting lovingly to life, describing a world of formalities and customs, where the exchange of poetry is a form of conversation and everything has meaning, from the color of the silks on wears to how one may address others. Kij Johnson has created an achingly beautiful love story, a fable wrapped in smoke and magic set against the fabric of ancient Japan.

The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson