Sometimes everyone needs a little bit of help to reach their destination. That’s where Clare, the undead fox of Deadwood Forest, comes in. He’s an Usher to the Afterlife for animals who don’t have the right directions to reach it after death.
Clare who had (almost) died as a young fox after being hit by a truck, was chosen six years ago to to become the next Usher of wandering souls.
That accident left him missing an eye and an ear and rather tattered fur, but he does have a superb tail, almost lavender. He is almost the only resident of Deadwood, if you don’t count the rats living at the Deadwood Dump.
When Clare receives a knock on the door of his cosy house in the forest, it is usually a bewildered animal looking for directions. That’s when Clare can direct the animal’s soul to one of the four portals to the Afterlife … Peace, Progress, Pleasure or Pain.
Clare busily cultivates his garden of mushrooms until a badger, Gingersnipes, knocks on the door. Clare does not like badgers, because of an incident just after he was hit by the truck. Despite Clare ushering Gingersnipes to the portals, she seems unable to leave Deadwood, and Clare has to discover the reason.
To find the answer, the two need to cross the road to Fernlight Forest, bustling with life and danger, in comparison with Deadwood. While Clare starts to befriend the badger, he is reluctant to accept the truth behind her presence, but he is, after all, a good soul.
Reviewed by Jennifer Somerville
Age Guide 8+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aubrey grew up in Virginia just before the technology boom, when exciting weekend plans consisted of a library card and a few dozen ice pops. Her most beloved friends all lived the pages of her favorite novels, and if she’s being honest, they still do. After high school, she studied at Brigham Young University, earning a bachelor’s degree in advertising and a minor in art history. Currently, she lives in California with her husband and three young children.
In her 30-some years, she’s lived many lives, and is currently in her medical-mom era – learning how to be an advocate for her youngest child, an objectively delightful baby with a trach and a feeding tube.
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