Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud
Lee Murray
The Cuba Press (April 1, 2024)
Reviewed by Carson Buckingham
Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud is a brilliant volume by Lee Murray. She hails from New Zealand (also known as Aotearoa), and this short volume deals with the Chinese diaspora in 1923 in her country. It elegantly blends mythology and horror; history and heartbreak; racism and perseverance in such a lyrical way that the reader cannot help but be drawn in deeply. There is no way anyone can experience this book (and it is an experience, believe me) and not be changed in some way.
Though in 1923, the Chinese diaspora in New Zealand was a small, aging, and predominantly male community facing extreme legal, financial, and social discrimination designed to restrict their population and encourage their return to China, there were women in this community as well, though not as many. It is these unwanted, isolated, and despised immigrants with whom Ms. Murray is concerned in her book.
This is a dark chapter of New Zealand history, to be sure, and the author has used the nine-tailed fox spirit of Chinese mythology to narrate the story, as the entity inhabits these women and tells their sad, and at times horrific, stories. They will probably make you angry. They did me. And isn’t that the purpose of well-written historical fiction? To make one feel something?
The isolation, prejudice, and outright hatred that the Chinese suffered during this time is handled masterfully in this novel-in-verse…and in truth…the most important element. And don’t be put off by the ‘verse’ element of this book. I am not a huge lover of poetry, enjoying a select few poets only, but this verse is more than approachable, even if you are like me, so don’t be afraid to give it a try.
With Lee Murray, the silenced now have a voice. Brava!
You’ll want a copy of this book…it’s an important one.
5 out of 5 stars.
