I really like Polly Crosby's novels, in particular her latest works. She writes about what she knows best: Cystic Fibrosis and manages to create a different narrative each time. "The Vulpine" is a dystopian take where the population are split into the Perfect and the Imperfect. The Imperfect go to the hospital or even worse, the Vulpine take them. Ticks all the boxes of a dystopian novel: a great horror, people living on the margins of society and a glimmer of hope in the future.

I really loved this book. I like the way that the book blurb doesn’t make it clear whether you’re reading magical reality or dystopian fiction I felt begin with that I was reading a fairytale. I rather love that element of the novel particularly the children’s storybook a lead character finds that tells her about the Vulpine it sets
the story perfectly and starts her on her adventure. I found the way that this was handled really skilful. The dystopian world was just believable as I believe every good dystopian novel must be .Our search for perfection in human life is central to a lot of eugenics movements and on many occasions has gone too far. Think the third Reich and its treatment of disabled children as well as the way black people were forcefully sterilised or experimented on in the USA not so long ago
The characters are real and believable the author has the skill to carefully describe in individual characters and make them develop in an entirely believable way throughout the story
The story exciting enough to maintain your interest and I read it in one sitting this was one of those books that when I first woke up in the morning and remembered I had to finish it I couldn’t wait to open the book and start reading
There Is a sweet love story in the middle of the novel, however it doesn’t dominate it something that might’ve taken the book into the YA category
I loved the authors note at the end of the book ,as a doctor I had picked up at the potential diagnosis for the lead character was cystic fibrosis but it was nice to have this confirmed .As a non-medical reader. It didn’t matter what the illness was just that it was an “imperfection”In the context if the story .I rather liked the fact that she had a late onset medical condition which led to her reclassification and that the physical disabilities mentioned during the story seemed real and believable
When I started reviewing books five years ago, it was unusual to have main characters with medical or developmental even psychological conditions . As I read more I’ve come across more books with neuro diverse characters but reading about somebody with a medical condition and that not being the whole subject of the novel was lovely. I would imagine that themselves had cystic fibrosis would find this novel fabulous and nice to find themselves represented. I always appreciate when I read a novel which has something personal to the author in it there is nothing better than lived experienced to make the story feel entirely authentic
The author has clear flowing writing style making the novel and refreshing enjoyable read. I had previously read her novel Vita and the birds. I read this quite some time ago but the picture of the glasshouse in the salts marshes still comes to mind from time to time. She’s written a number of other novels including the illustrated Child the unravelling and the house of fever and I note that there is a Young Adult This tale is forbidden in 2024.
I’m trying to think of similar books but currently struggling to find one that is quite like this book. Pass me I really love to stay your novels and will gravitate to these if given a free choice in reading I’ve read a large number of these novels mostly newly published in the last five years and would say that this book is among the best of them ..

The novel is very descriptive in its setting and I think it would make a fabulous film if I was a film developer I would grab the rights to it .I hope to see it on Netflix soon !
There is something similar in the ethos of this novel with the book The Girl with All the Gifts by MR Carey or The power by Naomi Alderman If you liked either of these books and I think you will enjoy this novel .


Whilst this isn’t badged as a YA novel I think it would be entirely appropriate for teenagers to read and I would’ve loved to read it myself as an early reader.
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published in January 2025 by Scholastic
This review will appear on NetGalley UK. Goodreads and my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com.After publication it will also appear on Amazon UK.

3.5 stars

I'm fairly sure I've read all of Polly Crosbys work, and enjoyed them, so I was looking forward to this one.
It has some really good ideas, especially when you add the own voices element in, which I did not know about until the acknowledgement.
A dystopian future where illness is no-one, sounds too good to be true.
And it is.
Some good twists, and characters I could get behind.
I enjoyed this one.
I'm not the target audience, and there were a few times it felt too young for me, buy it never detracted from the story.
Enjoyable