Mrs. Fox by Sarah Hall, 2013
The magic trick:
Rich language almost to the point of being sensual
This is a very earthy story. You can feel it. Taste it. The language is rich, the writing impeccable. So even if you’re like me and you don’t particularly care about the ideas or themes being expressed through the story, there is still so much here to enjoy and get lost in, sentence by sentence.
And that’s quite a trick on Hall’s part.
The selection:
That he loves his wife is unquestionable. All day at work he looks forward to seeing her. On the train home, he reads, glancing up at the stations of commuter towns, land-steal under construction, slabs of mineral-looking earth, and pluming clouds. He imagines her robe falling as she steps across the bedroom. Usually he arrives first, while she drives back from her office. He pours a drink and reclines on the sofa. When the front door opens he rouses. He tries to wait, for her to come and find him, and tell him about her day, but he hasn’t the patience. She is in the kitchen, taking her coat off, unfastening her shoes. Her form, her essence, a scent of corrupted rose.
Hello, darling, she says.
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