The Blue Fox

"When I need something epic and lyrical I call upon Sjón . . . The Blue Fox is a magical novel." —Björk

 

Set against the stark backdrop of the Icelandic winter landscape, the mysterious blue fox is an elusive, enigmatic target for hunters like Baldur Skuggason, a nineteenth-century priest who has profound influence over his rural community and is now seeking to extend his dominion. This time, he gets the fox in his sights, and as soon as he pulls the trigger . . .

We are pulled into the world of Fridrik B. Fridrikson, a naturalist who lives on the outskirts of the priest's territory with his charge, Abba, who suffers from Down syndrome. When Abba was found shackled to the timbers of a ship run aground in 1868, Fridrikson fortuitously came to her rescue. But it seems their luck may have run out.

The fates of these three are intertwined in unexpected, marvelous ways that reveal themselves in spellbinding fashion in a fable that is part mystery, part fairy tale. Winner of the Nordic Council's Literature Prize—the Nordic world's highest literary honor—Sjón's The Blue Fox is the perfect introduction to a mind-bending, world-class literary talent.