Fox is the tale of a “charming” young man who teaches at an exclusive private school, and who, with cunning and nerve, insinuates himself into the lives of young girls, and commits pedophilia whenever he can. Then he mysteriously disappears, and the agonizing truth of his crimes slowly emerges.
Joyce Carol Oates does a masterful job of inhabiting a wide range of characters—from the despicable Francis Fox and the innocent girls he victimizes, to the parents, teachers, and others who are oblivious to the horrors taking place in plain sight.
The book's unremitting pace, depth of characterization, and beautiful language are striking, especially for a writer of uncountable books aged 87!
'Impressive and unsettling'
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
'Eerie, shocking, provoking' GILLIAN FLYNN
'Rich in suspense, diabolical secrets and psychological insight'
ECONOMIST
'Engrossing even as it horrifies'
BIG ISSUE
A spellbinding 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.
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…
As if to prove he could write about just about everything, here, in The Complete Henry Bech, John Updike tells the story of a Jewish American novelist whose work has generated the same level of fame—and in some cases surpassing it—of mid-20th century giants like Saul Bellow, Philip Roth, etc.
The Complete Henry Bech consists of three novels—Bech: A Book, Bech is Back, and Bech at Bay—many chapters originating as stories in TheNew Yorker.
Updike’s reputation may be in decline at the moment, but the satiric wit and ability to inhabit the heart and soul of a frustrated, womanizing and—eventually—Nobel Prize winner, is uncanny.
Henry Bech, the celebrated author of Travel Light, has been scrutinized, canonized and vilified by critics and readers across the world. Here, the experiences of this bemused literary icon, one of Updike's greatest creations, are described in hilarious detail, as he travels the world struggling to break his writer's block; returns to his native America to find new success with Think Big, his all-time blockbuster; and visits communist Czechoslovakia, where he is greeted by a dizzyingly adoring public. Brilliantly comic and deeply poignant, The Complete Henry Bech is one of the greatest of all explorations of the writing life and…
Maybe not everyone wants to read about the history of German U-boats during the Second World War, but if the subject is of interest, Wolfpack is a great place to start.
Roger Moorhouse is a historian of note, and writes crisp, compelling prose. He’s generous with details on this complex topic—for example, U-boat submariners suffered a shocking 75 percent death rate during the global conflagration—but not so many details you ever feel bogged down.
In my “Best Books of 2023,” I highlighted a book about Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, having read it during a transoceanic cruise. By contrast, I read Wolfpack on dry land and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Another fact: The dire realities of life aboard a U-boat would be far too claustrophobic for me.
From a top scholar of World War II, the “fascinating” (John C. McManus) definitive history of Germany's U-boat campaign that challenged British naval supremacy and brought international trade to its knees
Winston Churchill once remarked that the only threat to truly frighten him was the peril of Nazi U-boats. Over the course of World War II, Germany's submariners sank over three thousand Allied ships, nearly three-quarters of Allied shipping losses in all theaters of the war. In the process the submariners endured horrific conditions and suffered a 75 percent death rate, the highest of any arm of service in the…
The Confessions of Gabriel Ash, a literary Cold War thriller with echoes of John Le Carré and A Gentleman in Moscow, alternates between the glittery backdrop of 1980s Manhattan and the sinister grottoes of Eastern Europe.
When disgraced UN diplomat Gabriel Ash is recalled to his adopted homeland deep behind the Iron Curtain, he uncovers a shocking truth from his past and confronts new life-and-death consequences growing out of a career of deception and lies. The story UN Ambassador Gabriel Ash must tell—in a voice that’s sardonic, self-delusional, and uniquely his own—will result either in his release from captivity or the loss of his life.
