Pax

“We’ll find out at the library. But I loaded the tractor already.”
“The tractor?”
“How else are we going to cart twenty marionettes into town?”
“We’re driving to the library on a tractor?”
“We’re driving to the library on a tractor.”

Pax

This is outside my usual genre, but when a cover like that shows up, how can you refuse? While it is a middle-grade book (8-12). I found this entertaining and an excellent piece of writing.

Plot

Ever since Peter rescued Pax as a kit, the two have been inseparable. Then, something horrible happens. Peter’s father enlists in the war, forcing Peter to release Pax into the wild. Now, living with his grandfather, Peter realizes something. He made a terrible mistake in letting Pax go.

Peter embarks on a 300-mile trip to rescue his lost friend, despite the ever-nearing war. Meanwhile, Pax is on an adventure of his own, confident his boy will not abandon him.

Pax is a tale of a young boy as he is driven by the love of his friend, and learns some lessons along the way. It’s not exactly what I expected (in a good way), and the ending…I’m still not over it.

Characters

Peter is an almost-thirteen-year-old boy who is usually calm and mild. Yet, he can become fierce when motivated. Pax is loyal and protective. The two are, as the book states many times, inseparable.

Peter especially is interesting. He’s flawed, and he can loose control of his temper sometimes, but he is deeply compassionate and loyal.

Every other chapter alternates between Peter’s and Pax’s point of view. The way Pax communicates with other foxes he meets is intriguing.

They speak to each other, but not like a fantasy book with talking animals. An author’s note at the beginning states foxes communicate in “a complex combination of vocalization, gesture, scent, and expression.”

Thus, instead of dialogue in quotation marks, italicized statements translate the conversation.

Also, the foxes act in a realistic way. You might expect them to act extra intelligent. They don’t.

Theme and Spiritual Application

Pax touches on a variety of topics, too many for a brief review. The main themes are friendship and the brutality of war. Some discussion of animal cruelty and human colonization of nature is a given.

There is one thing I didn’t quite like about this book. Peter and Pax can mind connect and see through each others eyes. Another character explains this as a Buddhist concept. I find the whole situation odd.

The book works through concepts such as finding out who you are, being at peace, and dealing with the loss of war (all from a secular viewpoint).

Overall

Pax is a good read for younger readers, but can be (somewhat) enjoyable to older readers as well. I likely won’t read it again, but it didn’t drag, and even kept me in suspense in the climax.

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