Knock Knock and Discerning Lies

This episode, Andrea reads the folk horror novel Knock Knock, Open Wide by Neil Sharpson. Elizabeth reads The The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo, a historical fiction/detective novel set during the Qing Dynasty. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to the Bookshop Bombshells. I'm Elizabeth. And I'm Andrea. And that was not our third time to do that intro. We had a really hard time today with that.

SPEAKER_02 0:11

That's fine. We did it.

SPEAKER_03 0:13

We finally did it. Welcome to our podcast. Yes. Uh this is a podcast where each of us read a book. And we tell each other about it.

SPEAKER_02 0:22

And we don't have any spoilers.

SPEAKER_03 0:23

Just in case you want to read it.

unknown 0:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:25

We'd like for you to read it.

SPEAKER_03 0:26

Yeah, please read. Um, reading is good. Reading. I was uh So I was on the Reddit recently and I was watch I was uh reading something about how okay, so I'm not on the dating scene, obviously, but apparently there's like this thing where um it's actually like a green flag for women if a guy reads. Ooh. Which I 100% agree with, obviously. It's very sexy when a dude reads. Even though my husband now gets upset with me when I'm like, I have to read for like three hours tonight because I have to finish my book.

SPEAKER_02 1:04

And I'm like, I actually can I have to finish this book.

SPEAKER_03 1:06

I know. I was like, why are you like making me feel bad about reading? He's like, Oh, you just I feel like he thinks I'm like abandoning him to read. Like we're in the same room. You I can do this while you're I'm sitting right next to you. You can watch whatever you want to watch, and I will be sitting right here. That seems like a perfect scenario, or it should be for him.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

But you know, you know, it's fine.

SPEAKER_03 1:30

Oh, also, so side books. And I texted you about this. Um, yes, you did. So my mom texted me about the it's called the Calamity Club. Catherine Sockett. Sackett? Sackett? Is that right? The author of The Help. Yeah. I think it's Sackett. Sackett. Uh so she texted me. She's basically like, this book is really good. Um, the audiobook in particular is great. So I started listening to it and I texted you about it because I knew it probably had a weight on it, and I was like, you should put your name on that list.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

I'm moving up in the line as we speak.

SPEAKER_03 2:09

It's so good. Um, it's like 1930s uh Mississippi, and everyone has amazing accents. Um, there's like a little uh girl character, and I'm like in love with this little girl. Like, I like it.

SPEAKER_02 2:28

How far are you into the book?

SPEAKER_03 2:30

I'm about halfway through. Okay. It's long. I don't know exactly how many hours it is, but it's a pretty long, it's a pretty thick book. Um but yeah, there's like this little girl in it that I'm just like, she's like an orphan and she's just like the cutest, most adorable.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Grabs on your heart strings. Oh, I know.

SPEAKER_03 2:45

And her little accent is just so cute. And like the girl who like narrates for her is just like you know how like little girls have like, I don't know, like they say things in cute ways or whatever. Like this girl does it really good. Definitely listen to that audiobook. I would a hundred percent say listen to this versus reading it.

SPEAKER_02 3:05

I'm listening to an audiobook right now. Oh, what are you listening to? So my sister-in-law messaged me and was like, Have you read September House yet?

SPEAKER_03 3:14

Isn't the one I just did? But your sister-in-law. Yes. Okay, not your sister.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

Yes. So I was like, doesn't she listen? Um So my sister-in-law was like I just finished like finish this and I really want to talk about it with somebody. Please, please listen. Please listen, yeah. And so I was like, okay, and it was a I think she even told me it was available on Libby or something. Um, and so I'm like two-thirds of the way through it right now.

SPEAKER_03 3:42

It's real it's not You may not even be to like there's like a point of the book that you're like, oh shit.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

Like I uh I think I'm getting it.

SPEAKER_03 3:48

Like it's like it's good, it's good, it's good, and then you're like, oh shit, like it's good.

SPEAKER_02 3:52

Uh it's uh it's not what uh it's not playing out the way that I expected it to, which is like a nice surprise, but also it's like it's it's like I'm curious to see how it ends.

SPEAKER_03 4:09

It's really good, it's so good. Uh and I I think that one I so there's a lot of times when we do the podcast, I don't want to tell I want to tell you like just enough that you want to read it, but not enough that you get the same surprises that I got. Um so I'm actually excited that you say that it's not really what you expected because yeah, it's like I remember like reading, I remember kind of going into it, like not having any idea what I was getting into. And then I was like, okay, this is good, this is good, I enjoy this. And then you're just like, oh shit, this is good.

SPEAKER_02 4:43

Like well, and like I can always anytime I like audiobook something that you've done for the podcast, I I already have kind of like, oh, this is what got me to like want to read it kind of thing, but then I'm like, oh yeah, that's different, yeah. And I I've loved it so far. Yeah, but September's so good.

SPEAKER_03 5:03

I highly recommend. That wasn't it, that was my friend Emily's recommendation. She told me, yeah, she told me that was I think she said that was her favorite, one of her favorite books she's read this year. So good.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

Yeah. Okay. Um sick. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:18

So uh what did you read for the episode?

SPEAKER_02 5:22

I love the book that I did. That was good because you just like such a nice change. You didn't like last week or last episode. I didn't do last episodes very good at all. Um this time I read Knock Knock Open Wide by Neil Sharpson. And the cover is pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03 5:44

Wait. He read He did Burial Tide. Yeah. Okay. I was like, that name sounds so familiar. Which I saw that book on your coffee table. My husband read that book. He's been trying to get me to read it uh for the podcast, but I haven't yet.

SPEAKER_02 5:57

This one's good.

SPEAKER_03 5:58

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:59

Um cool. So I'll tell you about it.

SPEAKER_03 6:03

Yeah, yeah, tell me.

SPEAKER_02 6:04

So, um in the story, we start off. Uh, we meet uh oh, by the way, there are Irish names in here. Oh gay. So um I'm trying my best.

SPEAKER_03 6:18

Mine's gonna be even worse, just to warn you.

SPEAKER_02 6:21

So we meet 18. Um, she is a short, pale, brown-haired 22-year-old who is working at Miss Maud Pygott's grocery shop. Maud likes her because she isn't watching the clock, like all of her other college uh employees. Uh, she assumes it's probably because Atane didn't want to be reminded. Sorry, Atane. It's it's spelled E-T-A-I-N. Okay. But I you pronounce it A teen. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:51

Does she tell you how to pronounce it? No. Oh, you just I researched. Oh, you good for you. So proud of you.

SPEAKER_02 6:58

I'm doing my best. Some of these names are very hard. Yeah. Um, not all of them are though. No worries. Um, so Maud is like, oh, it's probably because she didn't want to be reminded that she would be returning home soon. Trouble with the mother, I guess. Um, so Maud's like, hey, you've done enough, you can go home. Will you just let my son know, Tom, that the tea is ready? And uh goes, and see, I'm not gonna say it right when I read it out. It's fine. Follow me on this adventure. Uh 18 goes in and notices Tom watching TV. He's all like cross-legged on the carpet, and he was like glued to the TV box, if you will. And she's like, Oh, that's the kid show that me and my sister, it was like one of the only ones we were allowed to watch when we were kids. It's called Peking. Pakine. Peking?

SPEAKER_03 7:59

P-U-C-K-E-E-N. Okay. Pekine. Okay. Is it taking place in Ireland? Like, what okay? I was like, why are there so many names?

SPEAKER_02 8:07

Um, they're in Ireland. Okay. Uh so she's like kind of watching the show and she's like, Man, it really hasn't changed much at all. Like, that's weird. Uh, so you know, she like kind of breaks from that and she like puts her hand on Tom's shoulder and he's like, ah and uh she's like the tea's ready, and then she goes home. Uh she makes it home in the rain on her bicycle ride, and then after a while she gets a call from her sister Kate, which never calls when uh Miriad, her mom, is home because Kate and Miriad do not talk. She left as soon as she could. Um but Kate's like, Hey, you need to head down to Duncan. Uh I'm staying at our aunt's house b while she's out of the country and I'm throwing a party, it's on Halloween. You need to come. And uh she's like, How am I supposed to get out there? She's like, I don't know, borrow mom's car and just you know, take it. Come on. I promised Barry Mallon, your boyfriend, that you would be here. So Barry Mallon they met uh during college and then after college they stayed dating, but it was kind of like they weren't there's a lot of disconnect there. Uh so she's like oh but she like loved him, you know, so she liked going to the he's fine. I actually I I really like Barry. Uh but anywho, I digress. She drives to the party from Dublin and steals her mom's car. Uh yeah, she borrows. She borrows it. Um, so she's at the party, there's like all these people there. She's like, ah, um, only one person dressed up for Halloween for that party. Lame. Yeah, so it's fine.

SPEAKER_03 10:04

Uh so it's not a Halloween party.

SPEAKER_02 10:06

It's not a Halloween party. Um, they finally see each other. They end up in one of the bedrooms, and he's like pulling something out of his pocket, and it's a box, and she it's like this awkward exchange where like I don't think he ever actually asks her, but she was just like, Oh my god, yes. He's like, uh so like yeah, um, so it like but like he was like nervous, he shoved the box back in his pocket after like this, like, I'm like, I don't know, bless his heart, he's a sweet angel. Um so did he actually mean to propose? Yeah, okay. But like she didn't, she like they had like sex, and okay, and it was her first time, and she was like, that was way better than everybody tells me your first time is. Um, but she wakes up the next morning like really early because she has to drive back to Dublin to go work at the little grocery shop. And um, she's like, Oh my god, did I just lose my virginity for a freaking watch? Like, I need to so like she's like, Hey, uh, so let me see the screen.

SPEAKER_03 11:18

You gotta put it on your finger, man.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

What's up? So he like gets it out and he like when he turned the lights on, and he's he like puts it on her finger, and she didn't immediately love it because it looked like a family heirloom. It's too gross. It was too, I know. I'm like, girl, I would have loved that. I know she so it's like a little too big for her, but she's like, I'll get it resized, don't worry. There was like a deep blue sapphire set, and um, it was cast in the shape of a woman combing her hair with like long tresses flowing back until they became a flock of cro crows in flight. I don't know how you do so much. And a little ring? And a little ring. I don't know how you do that, but it looks beautiful in my opinion. Um it seems heavy to be able to do all that. You know, with like a little diamond or something. So uh, so uh where was I? Oh, yeah. Uh the more she looked at it, the more she loved it, but she had to get back to Dublin. So uh she's like trying trying to creep out of like everybody passed out from the party, and her sister is like in the kitchen and it's like, hey, uh, let me see the ring. So she knew that's what she knew. Um and so she shows her the they have a little moment, it's very cute. Um, so but then it's like dark outside, it's raining. She's trying to get to Dublin. She's like a city girl going down back roads. Uh she turns the radio on. She's also very tired. She's had very little sleep. She had a busy night this moment. She's been having a good time. Um, so uh she's like trying to put the radio on, but it's all static. And then uh the rain gets harder, uh, and then she realizes that the ring that was too big for her finger is now almost too tight. Um all of a sudden she sees two shapes in the road. She slams down her brake, she hits her head, and there's a scream. She doesn't know if it's hers. Um, she sees a small like wire terrier dog, and then the second shape that's out there hasn't moved. Um, the terrier is like crazy. It's deemed the car an enemy. Um, so it's like up and barking at it. And then uh the dog goes back to the object. She realizes that it's a human man and the dog is eating his face. Oh no.

SPEAKER_03 13:55

Uh my mouth is a gape.

SPEAKER_02 13:57

I said it's a whoop, it dropped. Jaws were dropped. Uh so um she's like, oh my gosh, this dog's been eating. Like the dog goes back to the body and it's like eating its face off, and uh it's just it's crazy. So she's going back and forth in her head, like, oh my gosh, this is probably someone's dad or something. Like, do I leave him here? Do I like try to get him in my car? Like, what do I do? She's very sleep deprived. Uh so she decides to load the body back into her car by her lonesome 22-year-old self. Are there not phones? Can we not just like call? This was in 1979. Okay, okay. Like, you ain't go call the call the police. I don't know. No cell phones.

SPEAKER_03 14:48

I would still like go get the police.

SPEAKER_02 14:50

Well, but she's in the middle of nowhere. And she's kind of lost, like and delirious.

SPEAKER_03 14:55

I I still don't think I would put the body in my car.

SPEAKER_02 14:59

Well, so she has a plan. She's like, I'm gonna like get this body loaded up, I'm gonna find the first house that I can find, and I'm gonna call the police. She she had good intentions. She's trapped. Um, so right when she's like gotten the body into the car, there is now a pack of dogs of all shapes and sizes, and she gets in her car just in time and like shuts the door, but the dogs are like still attacking her car. Like she said, the the like terrier like slams its head into her windshield and like spider cracks it. Yeah. Um cute baby terrier? Yes, the cute baby terrier is evil. Um, so she finally is just like, I gotta get out of here. She like runs over the dogs or whatever. They're evil, they're mean, they're trying to feel bad, they're evil. Okay, we don't know these dogs. They're zombie dogs. I don't know, I don't know these dogs, but they are trying to kill me, and I want to get away. So um, so she drives, she realizes she's super lost, and she sees a farmhouse, it's in kind of rough shape, but she decides, hey, it'll work. Uh so she goes to the door and she knocks, and um Phalam Louni answers the door. Phalem was once a preacher and still a man who unsettles the local town. Um, he lives in isolation with his wife Lucy, and their marriage is kind of quiet and distant until 18 18? 18? 18.

SPEAKER_03 16:32

It sounded like when you first said it, you said 18, like the number 18.

SPEAKER_02 16:35

So that's how I want to say it. Okay. Uh so uh when he opens the door up, she's like like in rough shape. She's like, he's in the back. Please, please help. And then she's unconscious. And he like, he's like a gentle. He catches her catches her and then like rests her on the ground. Uh and then he was like, Oh. Okay. So he like drags her to the guest room and like gets her on the bed, and uh he's thinking about all the other things that may need to be done. So um he goes back out to his her car. He is like puking when he sees the dead man's body, but then he drags it into the house and puts it at the end of their him and his wife's bed. Okay. Um Phalam makes a phone call anxiously, trying to figure out the bargain tied to their land and health. The man on the other end is cold. Uh what Phalam asks for is refused and the call is ended. So, like, he makes a phone call, he's like, Hey, um, there's a like I have a bargain with you, but I have an extra bargain because I have two now. Oh, okay. Okay. But the the offer is refused. Okay. Um, so his wife Lucy is frustrated. He's like, Well, you need to call them um so they can get everything they can out or so that we can get everything we can out of this bargain. Um, so the next call that he makes, he like goes into his bedroom, he turns the TV on, and it's just static. And all of a sudden a figure appears, and uh Phelan says, We're almost ready to begin. Creepy. Meanwhile, Ateen is in and out of sleep. All of a sudden, a TV is brought into that room, um, it's turned on, it's all static. Uh, her sense of reality gets really distorted, and she's starting to feel a presence in the TV, like while it's crackling and static y. And then she begins to like interpret the TV show Pekin coming through. And uh the they call the dead man that they brought in the groom. And at one point he is in the room with her. But also, like you it's hard to understand like what's real and what's not, uh, because like her sense of reality is so distorted.

SPEAKER_03 19:11

Uh but she hit her head, or do you find out later?

SPEAKER_02 19:15

She has like she hit her head when she like slammed on the brakes. Like, I'm assuming like just a real quick boop on the steering wheel, but like not enough to like concuss kind of thing. Okay. So um while all this is going on, like the police are investigating Barry, like, and she's missing? Yes. Okay. She's been missing for a while. Okay. Uh Barry's one of the suspects. There's like a local journalist who is trying to investigate it. And uh, I'm gonna stop there. Yeah, that sounds awesome. So it was like this has been like a like I've really enjoyed this book. Interesting.

SPEAKER_03 19:51

Okay, because that like that's another thing that that burial tide my husband read like on vacation like a like I think last year. And he's been trying to get me to read it, and that what you just told me sounds super creepy, so maybe I need to read that.

SPEAKER_02 20:06

It's creepy, it's good. Um, there's a lot of lightheartedness in it too. Um but it's uh it was I had started reading it, I think, two episodes ago, and I set it down because I was like, I want to be able to pay more attention to this book, and so I finally picked it back up and I was like, oh my gosh. Now I wanna I want to read the other ones by this author now too.

SPEAKER_03 20:29

So well apparently burial tide is also really good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:33

But what I read was knock knock open wide by Neil. Neil Sharpson. It got a 3.91 on Goodreads. Is that good?

SPEAKER_03 20:41

Because I go back and forth on like what's good on Goodreads. Cause like I I guess I always feel like a like over a four has to be good. But then I'll read then I'll read books that are like high threes that I'm like, wow, this is a good book. I can't believe it's not even a four.

SPEAKER_02 20:59

I feel like three point two five and lower are kind of duds usually for me.

SPEAKER_03 21:05

You think two five, not even like like I I feel like because a lot of times I look at books and I will look at the goodreads and then like decide not to read it because it's like a 3.5 or lower.

SPEAKER_02 21:16

I've read a 3.5 and liked it.

SPEAKER_03 21:18

Yeah, I think I probably have to. I can't remember if there's any specific ones that I have for the podcast. But I am like always just it's kind of like IMDB where it's like I mean IMDb is on a different scale because it's like out of ten, but like a solid, like a seven is like good for IMDB. Like a three is like good for good reads. I think or like a four like a three, a high three is good for good reads.

SPEAKER_02 21:42

I have just kind of started reading what the book is about and going solely on that. You're probably right. You're probably right. Also, I'm a bit of a book cover judger.

SPEAKER_03 21:54

Yeah, me too, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 21:56

So if you can combine a good blurb and a good cover. Yeah. I'm kinda here for it. So I've been trying not to look at the Goodreads. The Goodreads too much.

SPEAKER_03 22:08

I guess a lot of the times I look at the Goodreads when so I've been going on Reddit a lot because I I um I did today because last year there's like a suggest me a book subreddit. I love that subreddit. Um because people just have like just random it's not even just like suggest me a book, this is what I like. They're like they want like a specific type of book. Like the one I saw today. Uh did you ever watch Avatar the TV show? No, I know. Like the cartoon. I know what it is, but I don't think I watched it. There's like this whole subplot in Avatar about this um city called Man, I'm gonna ruin it. Bao Singsei. Uh and someone on Reddit was like, so basically it's like the city that like is sort of in this like it's like almost like in denial that bad things are happening around them. Um and someone someone said, like, I like give me a recommendation that like basically has the same feeling of Bao Singsei is not at war. Like so it's like and so people were like um suggesting books like um Brave New World and like all these like books that I have not read, but I I have copies of like I should have read.

SPEAKER_02 23:26

I bought them because I knew I should read it.

SPEAKER_03 23:28

Um but yeah, just like I love just like the specificity that people have in the subreddit where it's like I want this feeling from a book.

SPEAKER_02 23:37

Like yeah, well, and that's kind of like I went, I remember you kind of mentioning that a little bit the last time we recorded, and so when I got done with this book, I went to Reddit and I was like break this down and they're like, oh folklore horror. Oh, is what this is? Yeah, okay. And so then I like and then there's all these different subcategories of like folk horror. That's like a cool category. So I kind of went down a rabbit hole before I came over. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:09

No, it's like I'll I'll I'll go through those those like posts on Reddit and then just like start just like adding things to my list of like, okay, look into that book, look into that book, because that book sounds cool. Like it's it's a really good place to find books.

SPEAKER_02 24:23

But I use Libby's like recommend me a book thing where it's like I haven't used that. I did, and I ended up with like three book recommendations that I put on my list that I want to head, it was like available on Libby. So I just like threw them on my Kindle. So I was like, okay, I have like four options of things to read now.

SPEAKER_03 24:42

I know. I'm I'm a little I'm kind of like I had an idea of a book I wanted to read for next time, and then I sort of changed my mind. So I'm now I'm kind of like I'm in a weird head space about it. Yeah, I'm like I don't know what to I don't know what to do.

SPEAKER_00 24:56

What'd you read for this one?

SPEAKER_03 24:57

So for this one, so I'm very excited about this one. I actually did find this on Suggest Me a Book on Reddit. Um it's called The Foxwife by uh Yang Si Chu. And I probably ruined that. Um so this one, um the prompt or whatever you call it, uh, was like suggest me a book that um so whenever you're on the subreddit, like people just kind of recommend the same books over and over and over again. And it was basically like suggest me a book that's like one of your favorite books, but you never see on the subreddit. Like you just like you know, it's just like give me a between the cracks kind of. Yeah, like how how is this book not more popular type book?

SPEAKER_02 25:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:45

Um, and I saw this and I read the blurb about it. I did not read the Goodreads, but it is a 3.98, which is in our same kind of like high threes. Um, but I read the blurb about it and I was like, this sounds so cool. Uh so I will give a trigger uh trigger warning. There is quite a lot of reference to the death of a child.

SPEAKER_04 26:07

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 26:08

Okay. The Foxwise. So um it starts off, we're in Manchuria in 1908. Um it starts with a story about a woman who knocks on an unsuspecting scholar's door late one evening. The young man um asks who it is, and uh the woman just asks to be let in. She has a b a bewitching smile and his favorite wine. He lets her in thinking thinking that she's a sex worker sent by one of his friends as a joke. Which I'm like, okay, that's cool. Your friends seem cool. Um It's way back when. It's way back when, 1908. Uh so they drink wine and he has one of the most enjoyable nights of his life. When she starts to leave, he tells her he must see her again. He seizes her hands and um tries to keep her from escaping him. She tells him that she just lives up the road, fourth house from the top. So the next night, after his servant goes to bed, he sets out to meet up with the woman. He walks up the road until he finds the house, and the name on the gate is who, which means fox. Um so each night he visits her and he begins neglecting his studies. Letters from his angry parents begin accumulating unopened, his skin starts to shrivel, his tonsils swell, and his spine curves. So the servant is worried and brings in a monk to he assumes he's like a been possessed by some evil spirit. So he brings in a monk to exercise the spirit. And when the spell is broken, the man howls and weeps in humili humiliated fury, and a raiding party is sent to find the woman, but there are no houses on the road where the man says that he's been meeting her, only a long abandoned graveyard, where the fourth grave from the top is constructed like all Chinese graves, like a little house half sunk into the hill, and the raiders use hose and spades to break in, only to discover that it's a fox's dead. So this type of story usually ends with the shape-shifting fox boiled to death or skewered by an angry mob. But this shouldn't happen if the fox is careful, which most are. How else could they survive hundreds of years? The fox in the tail is greedy and stupid and gives the rest of us a bad reputation. Us is in quotes, because this is the narrator.

unknown 28:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 28:41

Uh, foxes some people say are wicked women. Um this fox, the narrator, calls herself a virtuous fox. And although virtuous foxes should not steal, she needs clothing, and appearing on the side of the road as a naked woman is just asking for trouble. So as a fox, she can exist in two forms. As a f as a small canid, which I guess a little small dog, um, with thick fur and pointed ears, or as a young woman, which she points out is neither safe, neither are safe forms in a world run by men. So she'd prefer to look like someone's grandmother, um, which is more appropriate for her years, but she's like this beautiful young woman instead. Um so most tales of foxes focus on beautiful females who live by uh devouring key, which is like your life force. Yeah. Um, but little is said about male foxes, which she tends to avoid the males of her race. Um so she's so we're kind of like transitioned. We're we're kind of following her story now. So she's acquired some clothing. Um, she's continuing along the road, begging for rides, but she doesn't have any money. Um, she's trying to get to the port city of Delane, and she eventually allows herself to get hustled by a pimp.

SPEAKER_00 30:10

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 30:10

Which she uses those words, pimp. Um, he tells her that she looks healthy and she says, I'm strong. I can pull a plow as well as any ox. And he responds with, You won't be the one doing the plowing.

SPEAKER_02 30:25

I was waiting.

SPEAKER_03 30:28

Um, so he tells her that she can come with him. Uh, he has a good job for her as a nursemaid, which we do find out later. Like a lot of women kind of fall for these pimps um and sort of get pulled into like sex work. Yeah. Um, so he buys her a ticket uh on her train to Delane. Um and on the train she's thinking about all she's lost like to get here. Um, she's filled with rage and anxiety that her prey might escape her if she doesn't get to Delane soon. And the man asks why she's alone with no family. And since she usually tells the truth, since it's too much trouble to lie, she tells him that she was married before and she had a child too. And the man's not happy with this because that means she's not a virgin.

SPEAKER_04 31:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:16

And her price is sinking by the minute. Um, he asks her what happened to her husband, and she says that she's no longer married. Um, and that she is looking for a Manchurian photographer named Bektu Nikon. Um, and she asks if he's heard of that name. He says no, and the train kind of pauses at the next station, and he starts like looking her up all over and tells her that she's pretty and that she has like she has like exceptionally white teeth, basically. And his pupils like dilate. He like grabs her by the elbow and he like forces her into the corridor. So one hand seizes her by her hair, the other is groping her onto her blouse. She tries to struggle, but she is too weak in a woman's body. She has to be careful, like he could break her neck. Um he shoves his mouth on hers, and so she closes her eyes, inhales slowly, and focuses. So she basically, so it starts off again, the pimps lying on the floor, um, still breathing, because she's a virtuous fox. Um, she she searches his pockets, takes his wallet, uh, and drags his body towards the like end of the carriage opening, and then just like shoves him off the train.

unknown 32:43

Okay, bye.

SPEAKER_03 32:44

She's like, okay, bye. Um, she returns to her seat and is immediately noticed by another man. So she's like gorgeous. So that's like the thing about foxes, is like like she's kind of stuck in this like young woman's body, but she's like a gorgeous young woman. Yeah. Which is very unfortunate. So it's like good for the men, male foxes, because they like can get really far. But like for the women, it's just like they're just like constantly preyed upon. I know she's like, I just want to be left alone. Um, so she returns to her seat, immediately noticed by another man. Uh, he slides in the seat next to her and asks her where she's from. She says, Corinne. Um, and he asks if she is man two, looking at her unbound feet. So, like, there's the whole feet binding thing. So she her feet are not bound. So that sort of says a lot about her just by not having unbound feet. Um she sort of avoids the question. Um, but he's not deterred. Um, he asks if she's going to the lane, and she says, Yes. He asks, What for? And she says, I'm looking for a man. And he says, There's a good, there's a good one right here. And she says, I'm not looking for a good man. I'm looking for a murderer. And um that's how like that chapter ends. So it's a good first chapter. That is a really good that's good. It's very folklory, very like, like, I don't know much about Chinese culture, but she does like a really good job of like introducing it to you in a way that's like comprehendable. Yeah, it's very like she tells you like translations of things.

SPEAKER_00 34:26

It's like Oh, you're that's why you asked me for my I said had the pronunciation. Yes, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:32

She she she helps you a lot along the way, so it's like really nice as someone that doesn't know anything about yeah, the that really has no experience at all with Chinese culture. It was like really nice. I felt like I was being like like eased into it in a cool folklory type way.

SPEAKER_00 34:47

That's actually really cool.

SPEAKER_03 34:48

Yeah, I liked it a lot. So it also has a cool subplot. So the next chapter um takes place in a town called Mukden. Um, and it's just a body was found in the snow.

unknown 35:03

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 35:04

So Goo is a restaurant proprietor, um, and he's called in a detective. A few weeks ago, the body of a woman is found in a nearby alley, and Goo tells the detective that there was no sign of foul play. She likely just fell asleep and froze to death. At least that's what the police have determined. So the truth is the woman was actually found propped up in a seating position against the back door of his rest of Goo's restaurant. Um, but he like still owes a lot of money on this restaurant, and they do like a lot of like events and weddings and stuff. And so he was like worried that like a dead body would look really bad for his restaurant, and so he basically moved the body like down the street, and I think paid off the police to like kind of sweep it under the rug. Um, so she was dressed as a courtesan, which I think is like a nice word for sex worker type. Um, and so it was probably very easily swept under the rug. No one's looking for her, no one's like worried about her. So Goo is now asking this detective if he can help him identify the woman. So there was a kitchen fire exactly one month after the body was found, and Goo's wife is very superstitious, and she believes that moving the body disturbed her spirit, and um, like the spirit is like haunting them, basically, is gonna bring them that book. And so she consulted a monk and they said they need to find out the woman's name so that they can conduct a religious ceremony for her to like yeah, to like settle her spirit. Um so, and yeah, that she was dressed as a courtesan and he just like didn't want to get involved with a runaway from the brothels. So it's really sad that they're like, they're not choosing to be in these brothels, they're trying to run away. It's really sad. Um, so the detective asks what happened to the body, which it's already been buried, and asks to see where she was found. Um, Goo explains that the cleaner found her when he opened the door. Um he thought about notifying authorities, but he realized that, you know, a dead body would look bad. Um, him and the cleaner moved the body down the street. And thankfully it was early enough in the morning that no one saw them move the body. He basically asked the cleaner not to tell anybody. Um, and that's also like another reason why he's acting, asking this particular detective for help is because he's heard that he has like an excellent reputation. So he's like, You're gonna keep this quiet, you're gonna help me out, everything's gonna be on the download. Um, so although he is referred to as a detective, he sees himself more as a fixer. So someone who smooths feelings, arranges deals, but his true value is in the ability to spot a lie. So since childhood, he has been able to discern lies. There is a mysterious sound, a faint buzzing like a bee when a lie leaves someone's mouth. So Goo tells the detective that she was lightly dressed, no jacket. He asks Goo if there was any foul play. Goo explains the medical examiner found no wounds and rules in a natural death. And he explains there was a look on her face. The tech the detective asks if she was frightened, and he said no. She looked delighted. She was smiling. So Goo's wife is sure it was the work of a fox. He explains that his wife comes from the north, where people still believe in foxes, who lure people to their death. Goo says he heard from their mutual acquaintance that he is personally interested in foxes. The detective smiles. It's true, he's deeply interested in foxes. So it's like a detective novel. But it's it's got all But it's based in this Chinese folklore about foxes, and the detective can tell lies. And so they go into like how he got this ability. Um, so good.

SPEAKER_00 39:18

That sounds really good. It's really good. Like, is there an audiobook?

SPEAKER_03 39:22

Yes, and the audiobook is really good. It's actually um read by the author, which um most of the time. It's I so I this was one of the ones that I started the audiobook. And that's right. Yeah, I started the audiobook and I really liked it, and so I went and straight and started reading. But yeah, it's so good. Um loved it, loved all the folklore, loved all the the you know, the the the like the telling a lot. Like, I don't know if you saw probably not because I don't think you have Peacock, but um, there was like this poker face show on Peacock.

SPEAKER_02 40:00

I want to watch that so bad. It was Natasha Leone.

SPEAKER_03 40:03

I love her, I love her so much, but it's like she has her like bullshit thing, like she can tell if someone's lying. He is like a similar thing, like he it's like you can always tell if someone's lying, and I love it because he is very truthful himself because he hates the sound, he hates hearing the noise come out of his own mouth. So it's very much this like irritating like yeah, like it's like he can hear it, he always knows, it's like always a hundred percent accurate. Yeah, it's great. Okay, super good. I'm sorry, highly recommend. Thank you, Redditor. Interesting, yeah, and it was in um full uh full circle, had it in like the historical fiction section. So eyebrows do it is called like I hate that it's kind of called the Foxwife, even though it does like make sense later. Um, because it makes it seem romancey.

SPEAKER_02 40:57

But it's not. Because like if you're there is like sort of there's love involved. Yeah. But if you wouldn't have read that, read it, you would have never picked that up.

SPEAKER_03 41:04

Yeah, I wouldn't, no, because it's like a woman Yeah, it's the foxwife. It sounds I mean, it just I don't think I would have even picked it up. But there is there is a love there is love involved, but it's not the story. Yeah. The story is about foxes and this detective that can discern lies.

SPEAKER_02 41:31

I'm really interested. Yeah, super good for this.

SPEAKER_03 41:34

I'm very excited.

SPEAKER_02 41:35

Good good read.

SPEAKER_03 41:36

Yeah, thanks, Reddit. Oh, well, thanks for listening. Uh this week we read.

SPEAKER_01 41:46

I read Knock Knock Open Wide by Near Neil Sharpson. Right? Neil?

SPEAKER_03 41:51

Near Sharpson.

SPEAKER_01 41:53

Neil Sharpson.

SPEAKER_03 41:54

And I read The Foxwife by Yang Si Chu.

SPEAKER_02 41:58

We appreciate you guys listening.

SPEAKER_03 42:00

Yes, thank you for listening, and we will see you in two weeks.

SPEAKER_02 42:03

Two weeks. Bye.

SPEAKER_03 42:05

Bye.