Based on the award-winning short story "Fox Magic," Kij Johnson's The Fox Woman is a haunting novel of love and magic; of Kitsune, the young fox kit who catches a glimpse of a Japanese nobleman and resolves to snare his heart.She will embark on a journey that will change her, her family, and all the humans she encounters . . . and the magic she conjures will transform all of their lives forever. Set against the backdrop of medieval Japanese society, The Fox Woman is both a retelling of the classic Japanese animal fable and a stunning exploration of what it means to be in love, whether fox or woman, and what paths one will take to try to find the mercurial ghost that is happiness. AUTHORBIO: Kij Johnson lives in Seattle, Washington.

In Western fairy tales, we've got the werewolf, the man who changes into a wolf. But in the East, it's the fox who does the changing, into a man--or, more often, a sensuous, seductive woman. In her skillful debut, Kij Johnson takes this classic Japanese myth (based in large part on a Royall Tyler translation of a particular story) and spins it into a luminous, lyrical tale, a tender and whisper-quiet study of love, desire, joy, and the nature of the soul.

The Fox Woman follows two families, one of foxes and another of humans. The restless Kaya no Yoshifuji fails to receive an appointment in the Emperor's court and, distracted and seemingly unfazed, decides to relocate to a rural estate to pass a pensive winter, accompanied by his wife Shikujo and son Tadamaro. But a young fox named Kitsune and her brother, mother, and grandfather have set up their den in the run-down estate, and soon the fate of both families becomes intertwined; Yoshifuji becomes bewitched by the foxes, and Kitsune in turn falls in love with him, much to the distress of all others involved, especially Shikujo.

Johnson tells her tale in measured, intimate passages, through Kitsune's diary, Yoshifuji's notebook, and Shikujo's pillow book. The rich, truthful depiction of the Heian-era setting, punctuated by exchanges of poetry and steeped in emotive descriptions of both the fox and human worlds, establishes a still, meditative, and rewarding pace. With her thoughtful ear, Johnson offers a mature and knowing first effort. --Paul Hughes

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