summary:
In FOX, Joyce Carol Oates returns to her signature style of gothic realism, weaving an unsettling yet all-too-familiar portrait of working-class families trapped in cycles of pain, silence, and complicity. At the center of the novel is a middle school teacher whose charm, intellect, and position as a respected white man allow him to hide in plain sight, leaving behind a trail of damaged lives.

Told through a stream-of-consciousness narrative that shifts between the adults and children caught in the predator’s orbit, the novel exposes the layers of secondary victims that abuse creates—those who are harmed directly and those who live with the reverberations. Oates masterfully explores how systems and power structures enable predators to continue unchecked, often for years, until someone—inevitably—reaches a breaking point.

Though there are a few morally upright characters trying to intervene, their efforts often come too late or at too great a cost. Justice, if it arrives at all, feels compromised and hollow. This lack of redemption, while true to life, leaves a lasting ache, especially for female readers or parents of daughters.

FOX is undeniably powerful and impeccably written, but its unrelenting darkness and emotional weight make it a difficult read. It’s literary fiction of the highest quality, but without much light in the tunnel—a story that stays with you, and not always in a comforting way.

Thanks to Random House and Hogarth for the advanced copy. If you love this type of book, check it out when it releases on June 17!

Joyce Carol Oates’ novel Fox is a purposefully challenging exploration of trauma, power, and human responsibility. Set in contemporary times, the fictional narrative delves unflinchingly into the abuses of power.
As always, Oates’ prose is characteristically sharp and psychologically astute. She crafts a world where memory and reality blur, while emotion shapes every interaction. The novel’s pacing and depth compel readers to confront difficult questions about innocence, agency, and the evasion of responsibility for those placed in positions to protect children.
Note: Due to its explicit themes, this novel is best suited to mature readers prepared to engage thoughtfully with challenging content.
Thanks to NetGalley for this copy. My opinion is my own.

Okay, I acknowledge that Joyce Carol Oates is a wonderful writer, but this book just didn't work for me. I don't want to spoil anything, but the subject matter was too disturbing for me. Ms. Oates is a talented writer, although I do thing some of her descriptive sentences are a bit over the top. I'm sure this will be a hit with many of her fans, but it just wasn't a book I enjoyed.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Hogarth/Random House for the eARC and the opportunity to read and review this book.

I had a lot of trouble getting into this book. And when I realized what was being described I wasn't sure I even wanted to read it at all. But I've read many of Joyce Carol Oates's books and I know she is excellent at her craft, though I certainly hadn't realized how old she's become.
That said, I have to say that this is an admirable work. It is beautifully crafted and goes deep into society and personality. But can I recommend it to people? I'm just not sure. You really have to steel yourself with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. She really went there....

Did not finish. I knew this was going to be dark and mysterious but was not expecting pedophilia and repeated descriptions of sexual abuse of young girls. I did not care to continue with it past about 15%.

Thank you so much to Hogarth for the gifted book.

The good; the writing, wow! I can tell Oates is beyond talented.

The bad: the content. extremely extremely graphic description of child sexual abuse told from the abusers perspective made this impossible for me to continue on with. I think this level of detail is sick and completely unnecessary and makes me wonder how it's even allowed to be in a book.

Would have loved the story with milder content.

Woweeee! This book was so incredibly interesting. Truly an ignoreyourfamily read. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded in a back and forth timeline and character to character progression. I learned a lot about the mind of a sick, twisted f*ck. Scary to think there are many like him out there. I also learned new aspects of about law enforcement. I loved many of the sentences. This author definitely knows how to write to ensure there is attention retention. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Francis Fox has captivated the students and his fellow teachers at his elite private school but he has secrets of his own which will come out now that his car and assumed body are found.

This was a good read; difficult at times and intense but I found it way longer than it needed to be. I left if it was shortened I would have enjoyed it a lot more. That said, it was very genuine and felt true to life, especially how the investigation proceeded. I thought the many nuances involved in the situation among the families were well displayed.

“The serial pedophile is like a serial killer: hiding in plain sight. He’s usually a nice guy, everyone likes him. It’s rare that a young girl isn’t in love with her abuser, that’s how the abuse is possible.”

Fox comes out 6/17.

Dark subject matter. Explores what it means to be a villain, what it means to be a victim, and at what point can/do they intersect. Some of the storylines remain unresolved.
Wasn’t impressed by the stereotyping of people on the spectrum.


Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book.

It is a little slow at points, but It was an engrossing experience overall.

Issues:
The way the investigation ended seemed improbable. . . To say the least.

There was also a major unresolved plot line with Mr. Pfenning. . .

Praise:
The Healy family was the least interesting plot line to me, at first, but by the end of the novel, it was my favorite part. A major highlight of the book is the interrogation scene with Blake Healy.

Though the novel is long, the prose is good enough to sustain the length of the novel. It is simple enough to carry a suspense/thriller narrative, while being complex and unique enough to keep the readers attention.

(Will update review after publication date)

Joyce Carol Oates is now 86 years old and this is her 58th novel. In addition, she has published a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. She writes daily and taught at Princeton from 1978 to 2014 then at Berkeley. Read the Wikipedia entry - she could be a character in her own novels.
This novel centers on Francis Fox, a charismatic middle school teacher whose sudden disappearance from an elite boarding school sets the narrative in motion. Oates, with her characteristic psychological acuity, weaves a deeply disturbing tale that examines the ripple effects of predatory behavior and the complex web of complicity that can enable it. A strong trigger warning is hereby given - seriously. Fans of JCO will add this to a list of favorite challenging novels

Fox by Joyce Carol Oates is a chilling and emotionally intense novel that explores the fragile line between innocence and menace

Oates masterfully builds a sense of quiet dread through her lyrical yet razor-sharp prose capturing the confusion desire and fear that define adolescence The fox itself becomes a powerful symbol of both freedom and danger, about power manipulation and the blurred boundaries between predator and prey Fox is a deeply impactful read that will leave you breathless, in addition to disturbed.

I want to preface this review by stating that I have tentatively put it aside *for now* at roughly 60% but have every intention of picking it back up.

Also, CW: pedophilia, CSA

I include both CWs because through a decent portion of this novel we are actually in the POV of a pedophile and for other portions we are in the POV of an child who is being assaulted and I was not prepared for that. If you’re wanting to pick this up, make sure you are aware of the graphic nature of the POVs.

Since I got this as an eARC via NetGalley, I didn’t have CWs before going in so I was unprepared for the content to the extent that it is portrayed.

Don’t get me wrong, this novel is beautifully written and the prose are just stunning. The story is compelling and the mystery is intriguing and I have every intention of finishing this novel.

Francis Fox is a middle school teacher and a predator and we learn of his death via POV characters who we get to know throughout the novel. Each character has their own secrets, their own motives, and we follow each one as a mystery is unraveled surrounding the death of Fox.

I give this 4 stars even though I have yet to finish it, when I’m more mentally prepared I’m sure I’ll be able to finish it and truly appreciate the work. I already do, I just can’t push myself to read more.

This book was an emotional roller coaster. I’ve loved Joyce Carol Oates for years and this book brought the same beautiful prose and intricate characters I’ve come to expect from her.

The subject matter made this one really hard to read. Several times I had to put it down and come back to it. It is not for the faint of heart. Pedophilia and sexual abuse are very explicitly detailed in the first half of the book.

JCO said this was her first “whodunnit” mystery and I think she knocked out out of the park!

4.5 ⭐️s.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this book. It is scheduled to be published on June 17, 2025.

Justification can be found for almost any behavior, an admission of guilt and wrongdoing surfacing in disclosure and punishment, sometimes momentarily, sometimes never. Fox, dead when we first meet him, held on to his sense of justification until his end. English teacher at a private middle school, highly popular with students and well regarded by faculty and parents, his desire for tween girls surpassed a secret wistfulness, a lusting of the heart and the male gaze, to manifest in acts of sexual abuse. But the girls were willing, treated tenderly by him, his literary hero, Edgar Allen Poe, married his thirteen year old cousin, and the arrangement of old men and young girls in the novella, House of the Sleeping Beauties by Yasunari Kawabata was one of his inspirations. He did have his moral standard, aesthetics isn't everything, he was disgusted by Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. He died a good man, a good teacher.

The local police detective, exposed to some Buddhist teachings, influenced by them, won’t let the case of the accidental death of the popular teacher rest. Joyce Carol Oates creates a background of characters and actions made knowable to the reader, the background the detective must travel to reach revelations and decisions.

Slow in sections and at points repetitive, Oates in the classroom, getting the information to her students, or Oates nodding back across the decades at Faulkner. I can’t name another living author better wedded to American literature and its themes than Joyce Carol Oates. Her subject matter, as always, reflects the stories of disturbing events we find in our news media. She is our literary treasure. In a long list of published novels, Fox is one of her best.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Random House, for an ARC.

painful novel. we see through the eyes (at least for part of it) of one of the most vile characters ever put to pen. and the book just gets darker and darker. but yet, Oates's writing propels you through the work, turning what could have been an excruciating slog into a brutal but engaging read. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

4

setting: new jersey
Rep: n/a

I've never read anything by Joyce Carol Oates before so I was taken by surprise by the style - it's quite jarring, especially the first chapter, during which I almost gave up. I persevered and did end up getting invested in the story, though it's pretty dark and disturbing - I didn't need to spend quite so much time in the thoughts of a paedophile. The book is longer than necessary at 640 pages and it is very repetitive, and the style remains almost clunky and an effort to read, but I enjoyed the way all of the threads of characters slowly came together, even if I didn't actually like any of the characters.

Joyce Carol Oates is a favorite author of mine. I this novel, she tackles grooming of middle school stude ts by thise they trust. We-written, intricately plotted. A dark but enjoyable read.

Oates is an all time favorite author of mine, and she has a way of writing that is so unique and interesting that you right away know it's her work, no matter what subject or storyline she has chosen to write about this time.
She can also write in many different genre types.
This is one that tackles SA and how it effects not only the victim, but those around them. Lives are changed.
If anyone can tackle a subject such as this, and write an engaging story about it, it's Oates.

I am so sorry, but I could not finish this book. I understand the author is famous, but this was just too disjointed to manage. I am not posting a review online.