Pax

Series: Pax, Book 1

By: Sara Pennypacker / Narrated By: Michael Curran-Dorsano

Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins

A stunner filled with love, loss, and the Human War Sickness

From the opening of the story, we see that Peter the young boy and Pax his fox are bonded, sensing each other’s moods, aware and keenly wishing to make the other feel better. Because, you see, Peter’s father, off to war in a land and in a time we know not where or when, says there will be no place for a fox at Peter’s grandfather’s abode—where the boy will be staying throughout the war. And it is thus that we come to the opening scene: Peter’s biggest betrayal, his greatest shame. He steps from the car and throws Pax’s favorite toy, a toy soldier, as far as he can. Pax, relieved that they’ll be playing, scampers after it, and Peter and his father get back into the car and drive away. Peter is devastated; Pax is confused.

That’s how it’s all set up, and it’s followed by Peter, once at his grandfather’s, deciding that he made the biggest mistake of his life, and that his real place, the true place of his heart, is with Pax. So he sets off on a journey, heading 300 miles back to where they released and abandoned Pax. He doesn’t make it far before his hard, hard walking leaves him with a broken bone.

Pax, alone for a while, soon comes upon a (And I had to google what a group of foxes is called:) leash! of foxes who don’t take too kindly of him. He does, after all, stink of human. That’s NOT a good thing, and Pax is able to catch visions, memories, from the vixen his age: Something like a metal thing with prongs and claws, then there’s blood in the snow after violence, so much violence. The vixen of the leash is adamant that Pax go away, that he take his human stench and be gone.

But things take a turn for both Peter and Pax. Peter finds himself in the care of an older woman, Vola—a woman who’s withdrawn from the world after taking part in war, after killing, after being part of death and trauma. She does, however, breathe new life into the aching Peter, who feels he’s in a numbed state, forever shamed, forever betraying.

Pax is taken in by an old fox who knows the human war sickness is on the way, and the two seek to find safer shelter for the leash. Searching for food, though, brings them straight into contact with mines and chaos, and Pax sees firsthand just why humans are loathed.

Author Sara Pennypacker, who wrote the sweet and lively Clementine series, doesn’t pull any punches in this story. There’s plenty of man’s inhumanity to man, to the environment, to animals. It’s not reeeeally graphically depicted, but the war sickness invades everyone and everything, and death is the word of the day. Be careful with sensitive little ones, oooooh, say like I was during the middle grade years (The death of “Bambi”s mom DEVastated me!!!), as there are some heavy topics that you’ll maybe want to discuss with them: When is it right to betray a friend? Is it ever? Do we sometimes have to make hard choices with no easy outcomes? What is war, and why is it the Human Way to destroy? Can love conquer all?

I won’t answer that last one; I’ll leave that to you to listen to the story. But I can tell you that Pax is not an easy story, though it is indeed beautiful. Narrator Michael Curran-Dorsano does a fine job, never skimping on the drama, wringing out each heartfelt word and emotion. When Peter, the betrayer, discovers he’s been betrayed himself? Curran-Dorsano captures the kaleidoscope of harshly realized thoughts and emotions. His pacing is good, tho’ of COURSE I jacked up the listening speed a bit. But that’s because I’m that way'; it’s not from any lack on the narrator’s part.

I do so love when my Kids’ book endings are reality-driven; I don’t take to Happily Ever Afters (Except >blush< in Romances… ) that don’t come with tradeoffs and heavy prices to pay. I don’t think you do a kid any good if you set them up with a: Life’s Fair mindset. Rather, Pennypacker has gone out of her way here to introduce the gross UNFAIRness of life, of how hard it is to deal with loss/es, of how little in life can be changed by ourselves but that we simply must learn to live with (i.e. war sickness).

This is a grand story, sorrowful at times, but always satisfying. And it was narrated well. Definitely worth a discussion or two with loved ones.