Fox 8 is described as a darkly comic fable, and that's a fair description. Fox 8 is a letter written by the titular fox, to his new human neighbors. After a mall and suburbs break down his patch of forest, Fox 8 is launched on a journey to find a new place for himself and his family.

Reminiscent of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God's transcription of the Southern dialect, Fox 8 tells his tale with words spelled how they sound. His natural surfer dude attitude is hilarious, and the dark part of the tale happens when that starts to slip away. The strength of Fox 8's character lends to the poignancy and gut-wrench at the end. I wasn't expecting to like this story as much as I did, but the environmentalist call for better land management and kindness to all creatures won me over.

If you're a fan of fairy tales or George Saunders pick Fox 8 and pet the spine. He's a good boy.