Fox

A Novel

De: Joyce Carol Oates

Narrado por: Max Meyers, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Kirsten Potter, Fred Berman, Matt Godfrey, Gail Shalan, Rebecca Lowman, Rachel L. Jacobs, Eunice Wong, Ina Barrón

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • An “enthralling” (Los Angeles Times) and “remarkably engrossing” (The New York Times Book Review, Editors’ Choice) novel of literary and psychological suspense about the dark secrets that surface after the shocking disappearance of a charismatic, mercurial teacher at an elite boarding school—by legendary author Joyce Carol Oates

“Eerie, shocking, provoking, and beautifully written.”—Gillian Flynn

“I found it mesmerizing front to back.”—Michael Connelly

“I can’t remember the last time I read something so (darkly, disconcertingly) addictive.”—Rebecca Makkai

“An extraordinary novel . . . unlike any other mystery I’ve read.”—Joseph Finder

“Tom Ripley, eat your heart out.”—NPR

“A classic psychological suspense.”—People

“A dark, daring plunge into literary suspense . . . Oates dissects the predator-prey dynamic with merciless precision.”—The Seattle Times

AN ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR (SO FAR)

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK: The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Seattle Times, Vulture, Esquire, Publishers Weekly, Lit Hub, AV Club, AARP

Who is Francis Fox? A charming English teacher new to the idyllic Langhorne Academy, Fox beguiles many of his students, their parents, and his colleagues at the elite boarding school, while leaving others wondering where he came from and why his biography is so enigmatic. When two brothers discover Fox’s car half-submerged in a pond in a local nature preserve and parts of an unidentified body strewn about the nearby woods, the entire community, including Detective Horace Zwender and his deputy, begins to ask disturbing questions about Francis Fox and who he might really be.

A hypnotic, galloping tale of crime and complicity, revenge and restitution, victim vs. predator, Joyce Carol Oates’s Fox illuminates the darkest corners of the human psyche while asking profound moral questions about justice and the response evil demands. A character as magnetically diabolical as Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley and Vladimir Nabokov’s Humbert Humbert, Francis Fox enchants and manipulates nearly everyone around him, until at last he meets someone he can’t outfox. Written in Oates’s trademark intimate, sweeping style, and interweaving multiple points of view, Fox is a triumph of craftsmanship and artistry, a novel as profound as it is propulsive, as moving as it is full of mystery.

©2025 Joyce Carol Oates (P)2025 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Utterly mesmeric.”—The Guardian

“Remarkably engrossing . . . impressive and unsettling.”—Owen King, The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

“At the heart of her latest novel stands Francis Fox, a mysterious charmer who is nearly as protean as Oates, though—no offense to either novelist or character—profoundly more menacing. Tom Ripley, eat your heart out.”—NPR

Dazzling writing and performances

Wow. Chagrined to admit this was my first JCO but it certainly won’t be my last. Not a false note in this page turning psychological horror tale. Creepy subject matted to be sure, but leavened by a subtle thread of very dark humor. And this is one of those instances where the audio version really adds an extra dimension — the narrators were all fantastic, each one perfect for the part they were chosen for. Highly recommended.

Intoxicating, Taboo, Hypnotic

The stuff you’re reading is graphic and immoral, but the central mystery ties together all the questions you want answers to, which boil down to one:

Who is Francis Fox? What is the truth surrounding the things found in the woods?

Boy, were the answers worth it. And it becomes all the more delicious when Francis meets someone he can’t easily manipulate. Like a poisonous, beautiful, but immoral flower. Forbidden, hypnotic, dreamlike, and in some places-nightmarish.

Powerful Novel

I was fully immersed from beginning to end. Character development is so important to me as a reader (or in this case a listener). That’s the beauty of this novel. I offer a cautionary note, however. The story centers around a sexual predator who preys on pre-pubescent girls. He’s not at all a sympathetic character, and he’s ever-so-easy to hate.

Oscar-worthy narration performances

Narration was acting in this case. Splendid. The content (often painful) was enhanced and even revealed by the performances.

so dark but so good

Brutal to listen to as a parent of a child the age of the victims but crafted so well

3.7

Well-written but very heavy. This 25-hour book explores disturbing truths about predators and the dangers of the halo effect. Some scenes were deeply uncomfortable — I had to skip parts due to graphic details about grooming and predatory thoughts. It also dragged in places and could’ve been 10 hours shorter.

Still, it’s a powerful read. Just be warned: it’s long, dark, and not for the faint of heart

Raw

Classic Joyce Carol Oates. Well-written, this is the story of a pedophile who leaves wreckage in his wake. Additionally, it's a story about privilege. The writing is raw and graphic, taking you inside the predator's world. As with all of Ms. Oates' books, the characters are well developed and the story gripping.

Multiple narrators

The narration was beyond perfection. It was as if I was watching a movie. So vivid and compelling.

The characters

This was a very tough topic but so artfully delivered. To me this is one of the author’s best!

Should come with a content warning

This is a deeply disturbing topic, and the chapters told from the child victim's POV are deeply disturbing. Not something I could finish. Returned.