Peter, a twelve year old boy living in a strangely vague war filled future, and his pet fox have been forcibly separated at the beginning of the novel Pax. The impetus for this is that Peter's father must join the army and Peter must go and live with his grandfather. Taking the fox is not an option. Peter and his father drive to the country and release the tame fox, who has never lived in the wild, into the woods. Before long Peter decides to run away from his grandfather's house and go back to rescue his beloved pet. Along the way he is injured and taken in by a woman who lives separated from civilization in the woods. The story is told through the alternating voices of Peter and the young fox Pax, who meets his own protectors in the wild. The story starts off slowly and the voices are a bit awkward which isn't helped by the vague, somewhat murky settings and the backstory of war. Where are we? Who is fighting? Why are they fighting? None of these questions are answered satisfactorily. However, the individual stories of Peter and Pax as they survive and grow do gain traction and become quite gripping. Peter, taken in by the mysterious, hermit like, war veteran Vola, begins a journey of self discovery that will leave him a changed boy by end of the book. Pax also finds others who help propel him on his path. A young vixen, her fox-kit brother, and an aging male all join Pax as he tries to make his way back home to find his boy.
Although flawed, I still found this to be a worthwhile read. I would give it 3 out of 5 ⭐⭐⭐
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