A masterful dissection of a murder and an evil man. This is a hard read because of the subject matter but a brilliant and unforgettable novel.
Each of the characters held such private loneliness, and each was less than noble -- even the dog. But in the end, every person was true to the core of their being. #Random House #Netgalley

Joyce Carol Oates is a masterful writer and the writing in this novel is no exception. The storyline and subject matter are extremely difficult and there are painful and rough moments in this novel. Oates is simply one of the greats.

This lengthy story of pedophile/imposter, Mr. Fox, attempts to tie up the story too quickly after building up for over 600 pages. Characters act uncharacteristically and unbelievably. Every female character is duped by Fox, nearly every character behaves badly and gets away with it, and the detailed descriptions Mr. Fox’s molestations offer no insight to his personality or actions. Skip this one and revisit one of JCO’s earlier works.

Fox is the newest novel by Joyce Carol Oates, a hefty piece of literary fiction about a middle school teacher who is discovered dead and dismembered at the bottom of a ravine near a local nature preserve by two local brothers, in the small town of Wieland NJ. Fox works for the local Langhorne Academy, an elite private school, and as the investigation into his death moves forward, shocking things about Fox's past and current behaviors towards his students comes to light. The story is told by a semi extensive list of various narrators including Fox himself, the Headmaster of the school, several of Fox's students, parents of the students, the Police Detective investigating the death, as well as several others.
This was my first time reading a book by Joyce Carol Oates, but I had obviously heard of her works numerous times in the past. I was eager to be granted access to this book on NetGalley and experience her writing for myself. Unfortunately, it appears her writing style may not be for me. I had a difficult time tracking the various narrators and identifying who each chapter was focusing on, and overall, I also had a difficult time understanding what the author was trying to convey with this book. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic, even the young students of Fox, and often I felt the author was mocking her characters in her prose. As I said, I am willing to conclude the problem is with me and this was perhaps more of a "literary" experience that what I typically read. The subject matter was of course heavy and the conclusion of who was to blame for Fox's death is not revealed until an epilogue, which was overall well plotted and surprising. But overall, the formatting of the prose and the jumps from narrator to narrator with no clear protagonist or dialogue made this a difficult book for me to enjoy. I am rounding up from 2 start to 3 with the understanding that this could be a problem with me as the reader.
Thank you to Random House Hogarth and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this review.

This was the first book I have read from this author. It was a slow read but with an interesting storyline. The characters were well developed and the plot kept the reader interested and waiting to see what happens next. Even an interesting twist at the end. This is a book which I would recommend to all who enjoy a good fiction read.

Struggled too hard with this one. Got only 35% in and man, I just couldn’t get into it. Couldn’t care about the characters. I’ve read other Oates books and enjoyed them enough, this one just wasn’t for me. DNF

It's always a pleasure to read Oates' work and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to read an advanced copy!
Fox contained all the classic hallmarks of her captivating storytelling with an eerie atmosphere & dark academia vibes.
The investigation into who Francis Fox was was awesome to see unfold through multiple perspectives.
JCO has a way of drawing you in and making you uncomfortable, but unable to look away.

Truly another masterpiece by one of the literary greats!

This book had so much opportunity with its premise. However, it just wasn't for me. I've spent too long reading writing styles that feel sluggish and unnecessarily arduous, and Fox fell into that category. I firmly believe that there will be people who love this book. I'm just not one of them.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
This was horrible. I was so excited because such a famous author but oh it's so bad. 😭 12% in and I literally care about no one and the mystery has barely begun. This is all exposition, so maybe it's good if you're into that kind of writing?? But man I hate it. 😞

I usually try to give myself until 30% into the book before I DNF, but I struggled getting even that far with Fox. Although I love Oates' unique voice and prose, I just could not engage with the plot or characters. I tried as I feel a commitment to finishing my ARCs; however, I felt as though it would be more beneficial to be honest.

I tried for several weeks but after reaching the 50% mark, I just couldn’t finish this book. Part of the issue was the length (almost 700 pages) and it just felt like things progressed SO slowly. The other issue was the subject matter. I have a 12 year old daughter which is the “target” of the main character and it just hit too close to home. The writing is very good and I usually love this author, so I’m sure others will enjoy this book!

This was an intense read. I enjoyed the book and I love the way that Joyce Carol Oates writes. I always have.
This book touches on some major topics that some may find sensitive. I thought it was well written. I enjoyed the mystery interwoven and the very cagey characters who wanted to give minimal information. Many points of view and some often disturbing descriptions.
Another great suspense novel from an amazing author.

This was my first attempt at reading a Joyce Carol Oates novel. I knew she had a trademark style, and I quickly realized the style is not for me. I was initially intrigued by the premise of the plot, which centers on a missing English teacher, but I found the writing to be extremely heavy and wordy (even more so than I anticipated) and found some of the shifting points of narration to be uninteresting at best. The book deals with much heavier topics than I had anticipated. While this didn’t scare me off, I am guessing the darkness of the material might come as a surprise to some readers. I’m thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this title. I’m guessing past Oates fans will be thrilled she has a new title out and I’m glad I tried one of her novels after seeing her titles on the shelves for years.

Oates raises a mirror to the kind of taboo subject that we as a people have turned a blind to, to some degree. However, I could not finish the book, given the sexual graphic scenes. She doesn't shy away from hard topics, but unfortunately I was unaware of it before I started reading. Her writing is masterful, as always.

My first from JCO, I thought the length would make sense when I got into her writing more. It still didn't though, for me. I think I had my hopes up too high. Not that this is bad by any means! Just not what I was hoping for, after what I'd heard of her writing previous.

Thank you bunches to Joyce Carol Oates, Random House Publishing Group, Hogarth and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!

Fox, by Joyce Carol Oates, is ostensibly the story of Francis Fox, a charming, yet ultimately evil middle school teacher who preys on his ultra-young students. When Fox’s car is found in a local pond, the community must come to a reckoning about who Mr. Fox truly is and what he has done.

I tried with Fox, I really did, but at 35%, I just couldn’t finish. While the subject matter is deeply disturbing, it wasn’t this that make me put the book down, but the author’s prose that I couldn’t tolerate. The treatment of the pedophilia in terms such as Kitten and Mr. Tongue, plus the dense yet often overly flowery prose was not for me. Regretfully so, as I have enjoyed Oates before.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

Oates is a master at the art of writing. This book was good and you always get complicated characters and engaging settings but with a dark disturbing twist
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

This is a really difficult book to rate. I've never read any of Oates works before, but I know she has a reputation for heavy emotional prose, and boy does she deliver that here. The content is undeniably disturbing, so a reader needs to be in the right headspace to digest it all. The shifting perspectives added a lot of interesting layers to the narrative, though there were some characters I wish we spent more time with (Demetrius, Genevieve) while some other characters I could have used a bit less of (Francis, Zwender). The writing itself is captivating and the mystery was compelling enough to keep the page turning, though some of the descriptions of pedophilia and child sexual abuse was a bit too vivid for me. There were other aspects of the plot that I wish were fleshed out a bit more, like the class imbalance between members of the community. Overall, this book was a decent introduction to Oates writing, and whether I like it or not, the story of Mr. Fox will stick with me for awhile.

This book is awesome. Joyce Carol Oates never fails to write amazing books. Francis Fox is a popular English teacher at a private academy for girls. He has a very enigmatic background, and impresses some and frightens others with the unknowns of his personality. Then a body is found in the wreckage of his car, and stories and implications abound. Classic Oates, and a pleasure to read.

I wanted to like this book but to me I couldn’t get past the child abuse and SA. It also took me awhile cause the book is written in a weird perspective. The way he called his girls he SA kittens. Yuck. I just couldn’t finish.