Christine Yunn-Yu Sun
A review of Catch Us the Foxes by Nicola West
Catch Us the Foxes, debut novel by Australian author Nicola West, is a psychological thriller full of twists and turns.
It is a good example of “a story within a story” or “embedded narrative”, the literary device that allows a character to become a narrator.
In this case, an award-winning journalist tells readers about her book, a personal account of her investigation of the death of her best friend in Kiama, New South Wales – yes, a real town.
As the protagonist turns first-person narrator, it makes readers feel like “we are led on, like little children, by a way that we know not” as described by George Eliot in her debut novel Adam Bede..
Indeed, in her book titled “The Showgirl’s Secret”, the protagonist Marlowe Robertson leads readers on a wild chase for the killer of Lily Williams, the town’s showgirl of the year, whose mutilated body is found near the showground.
Strange symbols are carved into her flesh, a fact that the local police manage to cover up.
Considering the police chief is her father, and as rumours, innuendos and conspiracy theories begin to surface, Marlowe is determined to track down the killer and expose the truths surrounding the death. Not just for Lily’s sake, but to make a name for herself by breaking the biggest story in her life.
It is the classic scenario of a small town mystery, the “fit in or f*ck off” attitude and the “us versus them” mentality, combined with young, ambitious people being desperate to escape the place that traps them. Further throw in the dark secret(s) that the locals try to hide from outsiders, and – voila! – you have a template for writing a book.
But what makes Catch Us the Foxes stand out from numerous other similar stories is the author’s ability to maintain the suspension of disbelief through to the very last page.
Additionally, by forcing the characters to repeatedly alter their perceptions of each other, West challenges her readers every time they think they have grasped the plot and its resolution(s).
The result can be frustrating, particularly on those occasions when the story’s pacing becomes unsteady due to the protagonist’s inner debates and struggles. But that is precisely the catch of the story. Just as Marlowe starts questioning her own sanity, readers find themselves having to abandon their deductive reasoning once again.
This reviewer has mixed feelings about this book. Not just as a reader feeling outsmarted and outmanoeuvred by the author, but also as a fellow writer asking, “How long is a piece of string?” Ultimately: “How much rope is enough?”
With that said, for those desiring to read for pleasure, this is definitely a gripping, entertaining book. As for those aspiring authors, there is much to learn from Catch Us the Foxes, first and foremost being the one literary device that cannot be named here as a spoiler.
Hint: Think of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” and Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0OCiNtWHTQ
