As my first venture into the world of graphic novels this book for me did an excellent job of showing the capability comics have to connect to readers on previously unreached levels through the portrayal of human suffering, vulnerability and internal conflict. The anthropomorphic characters were able to drive home emotions and pains that often are rare even in the human characters of other forms of writing. I believe that this feat was reached through two related aspects of the book: the drawn expressions of Hartzell’s main character, the fox, and the overall lack of textual narrative in the typical sense in the novel.

I must admit, initially Hartzell’s choice to not include words in this novel incited in me only skepticism. How can intense emotion and angst be conveyed without words and descriptions to beck them up? But through the reading of this novel I was proven wrong. Also I can finally say I now understand the true meaning of the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.” The expressions of Hartzell’s characters are perfectly emotional displaying fear, submission, reluctance, shock, or horror to the optimal degree while also being strikingly ambiguous (the mixture of ecstasy with subtle hints of hesitation and fear on the last page is astounding).

I also enjoyed the commentary on personal denial and eventual acceptance (concepts which are for the most part non-existent in comics as I knew them). This theme can fit well in many different situations and scenarios, but am I alone in thinking that it can especially hit right at home for members of the LGBT community. Sentiments of being an outcast, different, and (perhaps most notably) not being born in the right body seem especially related to transsexuals. I don’t know for sure if that was Hartzell’s direct intent, but I feel it works nicely regarless.