When Fox Is a Thousand

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

This novel takes place in three different times and places: during the
lifetime of the thousand-year-old fox, in ninth-century A.D. China, and
in contemporary Vancouver. The mythology of the fox in the Chinese
tradition—its ability to shape-shift, reanimate the dead, and haunt
the living—is at the core of the story, as we follow one particular
fox in its quest to reach its thousandth birthday and immortality.

The quest takes the fox from medieval China, where it was born, to
modern Canada. Its fate is inextricably interwoven with that of a
Chinese poetess (who lived during the fox’s youth) and her
descendants. A young Chinese-Canadian student, Artemis, is the
reincarnation of the poetess and the catalyst for the fox’s final
metamorphosis.

This is a story primarily about the trials and tribulations of
disaffected youth. A motley crew of young people—friends, lovers, and
acquaintances—move in and out of Artemis’s life. They experience
falling-outs, perennial reappearances in each other’s lives,
short-lived emotional attachments, alliances, and continually shifting
groupings. Many are alienated from their parents. Most are of East Asian
background, and issues around race are part of the mix. The fox takes
advantage of this disarray to cause trouble and further its own agenda.

The time and space shifts, varying use of first- and third-person
narrative voice, large cast of characters, and multiple themes make this
a complex novel. It is graced with some very descriptive language,
evocative of atmosphere and feeling, and the author has a fine ear for
dialogue (she was 24 when she wrote the story, and she nicely captures
the syntax and idiom of contemporary urban youth). However, I found the
novel disjointed and choppy, and most of the characters unappealing.
There was no contrast provided as an antidote to their aimlessness, and
the relentless concentration on sexual encounters, particularly lesbian
ones, became predictable and boring.