Fox Forever by Mary E. Pearson
Mary E. Pearson's imaginative Fox trilogy has come to an end. I wasn't ready.
What began in The Adoration of Jenna Fox and continued in The Fox Inheritance concludes in this third volume, aptly titled1 Fox Forever. This final chapter in the story feels like a continuation of book two, which was also told from Locke's POV. When Locke is told he must do a Favor (with a capital F), he is drawn into a movement that is both political and personal. Far away from the people he trusts, working alongside people he doesn't yet know, it would be easy for him to retreat into himself or openly rebel against orders, but as the story develops and he realizes what's really at stake, he becomes determined to see things through.
One of my favorite exchanges of dialogue appears on page 237. Note I've omitted the narrative and descriptors for the sake of clarity; the book is written in the typical prose style - specifically, in first-person, past tense - and not in the script-like manner in which I'm about to present this passage.
Locke: "Do you ever get used to it, Jenna?"
Jenna: "What's that?"
Locke: "Not being who you once were, not being like everyone else?"
Jenna: "Being like everyone else is highly overrated."
Yes, it is, Jenna. Yes, it is.
Another favorite moment comes when Locke is among the lower-class Non-pacts, who are making the most of what they have, combining ingredients to make a meal for everyone, enjoying their life and their community despite their hardships. At one point, Locke observes an unnamed girl:
A younger woman stands near the fire in the middle, telling a story to a few who are close by, her hands expressive, chopping the air with punctuation and passion. - Page 74
As with the volume which preceded it, Fox Forever offers action, intrigue, and even romance while Locke navigates through darkened passages, watches a rooftop, a ladder, and a girl, and encounters old friends, new allies, a variety of bots, low-class citizens fighting for freedom, and corrupt figures bloated by power. The "spy-on-this-person, fall-for-this-person" beat will appeal to fans of Gallagher Girls while retaining the "Fight the Future!" sci-fi / I heart dystopia audience from the previous books.
We held hands. We crossed a line. We made one another braver.(2)
I must admit, I initially wanted Jenna to be a bigger part of the story, but I quickly realized that she didn't have to be: her story was told in the first book. She was used sparingly in Fox Forever; she was there when Locke needed her, and he, in turn, was there when she needed him. Their friendship endured trials that some of their friends (and enemies) could not and did not endure. They were loyal to one another 'til the end.
1) Read the book, get to the final line, and then we'll talk.
2) If you like the TV show Fringe, you will like these books. #CrossTheLine #WeCrossedTheLine
Make sure to read The Jenna Fox Chronicles in order:
The Adoration of Jenna Fox
The Fox Inheritance
Fox Forever
Related posts at Bildungsroman:
Book Review: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Book Review: The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson
He Said, She Said: The Adoration of Jenna Fox and The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson
Book Review: A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary E. Pearson
Interview: Mary E. Pearson (2008)
Interview: Mary E. Pearson (2011)