Every Fox is a Rabid Fox

by Harry Gallon

Robert didn't mean to kill his brother. Now he's stuck between grief and guilt with only ex-girlfriend willow and the ghost of his dead twin sister for company. terrified of doing more harm, Roberts hysteria and anxiety grow while willow and his sisters ghost fight over him: one trying to save him, the other digging his grave.

every fox is a rabid fox is a brutal yet tender tale of family tragedy, mental illness and a young man searching for escape from his unravelling mind.

185 pages, Paperback

First published August 24, 2017

Reviews

[Ronan O'Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book. A dark, original, well-paced read.

[S.J. Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book as part of a bundle during one of Dead Ink's crowdfunding campaigns in 2017.

This book is a skilful and literary, almost poetic, trip through the troubled mind of Robert, a man who seems to blame himself for everything. Early on we are introduced to important characters in Robert's family, and psyche: his Dad, Mum, Uncle Jim; his dead twin sister, who Robert 'pushed out of our mother with an elbow'; and of course, the all-important brother.

Gallon almost masterfully brings us back to Robert's journey through madness using a series of repeating devices: Robert's obsession with guns, half-remembered hunting trips with his father; arguments in the family home, and glimpses of Uncle Jim's life, which we are never quite sure whether to believe. Did Robert really see some of the things he recounts, or are they all fevered imaginings of his strange brain?

Despite its confusing and intentionally fractured narrative, we're kept reading by a series of arresting, unforgettable images, and mystical, superb prose. It's a taut, thrilling read, and one I won't forget in a hurry.

[Kari D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a smart and elegiacally written book about mental illness and the way toxic masculinity is passed down through men and how it affects them (and the women in their lives). It’s a harrowing character study, told in fragmented, non-chronological chapters. A sense of doom steadily builds making it impossible to look away because we are compelled to witness its culmination. The narrative alternates between Robert as a child — always engaged in lessons of toxic masculinity, from hunting trips with his dad to shooting lessons with his uncle and violent escapades (into which he was roped) with his brother — and Robert as a devastatingly depressed adult who never acknowledges his discontent through words, tears, or paroxysms of any sort. Instead, he passively self-harms and obsesses over guns and death, unsettling his loved ones, typically the women as the men in his life choose to ignore the signs (to their detriment). We see him afflicted by the disease of toxic masculinity in childhood and we see him suffer from its symptoms in adulthood.

As much as this is a character study, it is also an examination of society. 'Every Fox is a Rabid Fox' looks at those who perpetuate toxic masculinity and those (everyone) who it adversely affects. Each member of Robert's extended family represents a victim or a perpetrator who hasn't realised they too are a victim of the very system they uphold. His grandfather was a soldier who passed on knives, guns and bullets (and belt marks) to his sons. His father, who once shot himself in the foot to escape cadet school, later tries to send his sons to the same institution. His gay uncle is presented as a cannibalistic assassin who brings men to their knees and slices their necks with six-inch kukri knives. His mother is the traditional wife who exists solely in the kitchen, where she keeps burning her arms on the oven door. Robert himself is a mentally ill man who never gets the help he needs despite pleas from his ex-girlfriend and mother. This is just the tip of my interpretation.

This is such an intelligent book with so much to unpack. It's unfortunate that this book is not more popular, because I think its great and I'd love to hear other interpretations of the text so I don't have to think too much with my own brain, haha.

5 stars.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that should be more well known - I don't know why it isn't. I stumbled across this by adding it to the end of a Waterstones order because it was on offer, and I'm glad I did. It focuses on a young man struggling with the guilt of being a twin, with his sister dying in their mother's womb. His sister now haunts him, almost being the Jekyll to his Hyde, encouraging him to do bad things such as play the 5 second game, which has two versions, one where you stand with a gun under your chin with your hand on the trigger and count to five, and one where you are driving and close your eyes, counting to the same number. His sister encourages him to do both versions, having access to guns through his father, and the second version where he ends up crashing the car, killing his brother in the passenger seat. The siblings have an obsession with their uncle, who they know as Gentleman Jim, as they are sure he is a hitman, but I am pretty sure he is homosexual - which shows how unusual that would have been considered to be. There are allusions to how their grandfather treated their dad and uncle, particularly the uncle who took beatings for not being manly enough, and this has trickled through a bit to their dad, showing how such relationships transcend generations. It is written in a punchy, unusual, energetic way in the style of Chuck Palahniuk at his best, in Fight Club or Pygmy. All in all, I loved it, and will be trying to spread the word about it to get it more well known.

[Chantelle Atkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the way this book was written. From the main character's point of view, the story jumps between the present and different places in the past. Written in a casual, almost disconnected manner, I found it hard to connect with the narrator, although I was totally fixated on the story of his childhood, how his sister died, why she haunts him, and he killed his brother. I thought the pace and the dialogue and characterisation were all superb and more than enough to make me want to read more by this author. An intriguing style and ultimately tragic story. Highly recommended for anyone looking for something a bit different.

[Drew Budds · Rating 3 out of 5]

a very strange story. i enjoyed reading some parts, but then other parts confused me. often found myself going over conversations in the story to understand properly