Review: Pax

Pax by Sara Pennypacker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review is also found on my Goodreads profile here! :)

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

It took me a long time to finish this, I knoooow. Not the book's fault I was busy with other things.

This book is everything I didn't expect!

What I expected:
- Children's book with a very light tone
- More illustrations than words

What I didn't expect:
- A heavy and emotional narrative
- An actual relation to war

There were three stories blended together and chronicled in Pennypacker's captivating prose: Peter's, Pax's, and the story of their profound friendship. This isn't just a story of a boy losing his pet. No, it's a story of a child growing up to be a man because of his love for his fox. This is a story of a fox forgiving, loving, and accepting the world around him--a fox filled with hope. This is a story of loyalty and a friendship so fierce that it will withstand a war.

What was even more surprising about this book is that it doesn't focus purely between the boy and his animal. It also puts in perspective the ripple of war. It unmasks the effect of war on a simple household. It unmasks the effect of war on Earth and to childhood. It unmasks the effect of war on a soldier who lost her way and who struggled to reclaim herself from the prison of her past. I understand how it's a children's book while it's not just that. Everything was narrated with an emotion so unguarded, and yet so innocent

The illustrations are also something worth noting. That cover is gorgeous and quite often, I found myself staring at it at random moments of the day. Although, the drawings are very few and far in between, they still gave more depth to the story. It gave the story a shape and its life. I know now that whenever I see Klassen's work, I will always be reminded of Pax.

I was resolute on giving this a 5-star rating. Everything was pieced together so wonderfully. However, the end was something I wasn't very satisfied about. It shocked me with an unexpected poignance--a jarring reminder that love is revealed in many, and sometimes, ambiguous or afflicting forms.

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