The old adage goes that you should never judge a book by its cover. It’s true that I adore the cover of this book, and it’s also true that I decided to read this book because of the cover, which I guess in part means that my friend, the cover designer, did a really good job!
It wasn’t until I had this book in front of me that I realised that it’s author, Rosie Garland, was also the singer in Goth Band, the March Violets, who featured on the soundtrack to one of my favourite 80’s movies, Some Kind Of Wonderful. I know, completely unrelated, fascinatingly uninteresting fact for you.
This is an interesting, clever read in alluringly poetic and lyrical prose, that follows the arrival of the great plague to a village in Devon. It is told from the perspective of three protagonists, a Priest, a girl, and their maid (the Vixen or fox of the title). Where is starts off gentle and beautiful, we are plunged int disalusionament and delirium as our protagonists surcumb to the symptons and fate of the Black Death.
