Literally Leander discussion

Our book for April 2020 was Wicked Fox by Kat Cho! There are definitely spoilers for the book in this thread, so beware!

This month our discussion prompt questions were written by a staff member. As always, no pressure to answer these at all; they're for those of us who need them! Otherwise, feel free to kick off the discussion with your own thoughts, observances, and questions.

1. Wicked Fox is heavily influenced by Korean mythology and folklore. When it comes to folklore, do you think that there is truth to the stories? Why do you think mythology and folklore exist in the first place?

2. Think about this quote: “Miyoung wasn’t sure if what she did was justice. Still, it was better than nothing. And if she had to kill, she might as well help a few wayward ghosts settle their grudges.” Would you consider Miyoung’s method of hunting justice?

3. The novel goes back and forth between the perspectives of Miyoung and Jihoon. Which one did you connect with more?

4. Both Miyoung and Jihoon come from complicated family backgrounds. How do you think their situations affect them? In what ways are they similar? In what ways do they differ?

5. After finding out that Miyoung’s mother sacrificed her own fox bead to save Miyoung, did you have a different impression of her? How do you think her own past influenced how she raised her own daughter?

6. If you were Miyoung, what would you have done about Nara’s betrayal? What about that of Miyoung’s newfound father, Detective Hae? Which one do you think would have hurt more, and why?

We're looking forward to seeing what ya'll have to say!

I really enjoyed this book! I gave it four stars. Granted, I might be a little biased, because I adore Korean dramas and was ready for all the tropes that I would see. I mean, the beginning alone sounds so much like a legit drama from a couple years back, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho.

1. Wicked Fox is heavily influenced by Korean mythology and folklore. When it comes to folklore, do you think that there is truth to the stories? Why do you think mythology and folklore exist in the first place?
I love mythology, and part of the reason that I love it is because I find it so intriguing. When people didn't have a way to explain things, they told a story to make sense of it all. A lot of tales sound a little ridiculous to us now because we have the science to explain them--especially regarding the tales about our physical world. When it comes to monsters, I feel like a lot of the stories begin as cautionary tales, and our human fear and misunderstanding makes them something bigger and scarier than they truly are.

2. Think about this quote: “Miyoung wasn’t sure if what she did was justice. Still, it was better than nothing. And if she had to kill, she might as well help a few wayward ghosts settle their grudges.” Would you consider Miyoung’s method of hunting justice?
Justice is a word that's hard for us to define. It's a sense of morality, which changes from person to person. There's no set expectations of the word justice because for every person's viewpoint there is a new definition. I think for Miyoung, it was a sense of justice. She loathed her monstrous side of her, and eased her discomfort with the knowledge that she was only taking the gi of those who had escaped traditional judgment by law. For her, I think that if she took the life energy from just any Joe or Jane on the street, she would truly consider herself a monster. Choosing to take the life of criminals over innocents was enough to keep her from effectively killing herself by not feeding at all.

4. Both Miyoung and Jihoon come from complicated family backgrounds. How do you think their situations affect them? In what ways are they similar? In what ways do they differ?
Let me just say that while I did like the romance of the book, the complicated family dynamics were what really sealed the deal. Miyoung has never felt loved; her full-gumiho mother is demanding and has expressed disappointment over her daughter's every decision. In response, Miyoung became a very withdrawn young woman with exceptionally low self-esteem; she believed herself worthless in many ways, and believed that she was not worthy of the care of other people.

Jihoon, on the other hand, is raised by his grandmother who has showered him with love. But there's still the pain of knowing that his mother found him to be a burden. Being abandoned by someone who should've loved you unconditionally is likely one of the most painful things a person could know. Without a doubt, Jihoon also questioned his worthiness.

How they reacted to their own low self-esteems, though, was completely different. Miyoung became a fly on the wall who loathed any attention, and aggressively avoided people trying to befriend her. Jihoon, on the other hand, hid his darker feelings with a cheerful, goofy facade. Before the book delved into their various backgrounds, I felt like the two of them didn't really have enough in common to understand one another, but now I feel like they are two peas in a pod.

5. After finding out that Miyoung’s mother sacrificed her own fox bead to save Miyoung, did you have a different impression of her? How do you think her own past influenced how she raised her own daughter?
I still think that her maternal instincts were lacking, but now I sort of feel like Miyoung's mother was actually trying. I thought she hated humans because she was not one; in reality she hated them because they had turned on her for something that was out of her control. She allowed herself to love Miyoung's father, Detective Hae, but was again betrayed by the person she thought would never hurt her. She effectively gave up her autonomy, and part of her life, for Miyoung's safety. I think she loved her daughter in her own way, but also resented her for being the thing that could ultimately destroy her.

6. If you were Miyoung, what would you have done about Nara’s betrayal? What about that of Miyoung’s newfound father, Detective Hae? Which one do you think would have hurt more, and why?
Honestly, I was surprised that Miyoung wasn't of a more punishing mindset when she discovered how Nara and her father betrayed her. Historically she had showed herself to be a little violent when she felt cornered, and she handled it in a much more mature way than I thought she would. However, I think Nara's betrayal probably hurt her more, because she'd opened herself a little to Nara's friendship. When it came to her father, he still remained a distant character that Miyoung hadn't fully accepted.