Little Foxes Took Up Matches

Bookseller recommendation

“Mitya, an 11 year old, is growing up in Post-Soviet Russia. His family is struggling through the economic turmoil while he tries to come to terms with his gender identity. His best friends are street kids and a homeless man. He is tormented by a cousin who returns from the Chechen war and lives with his family because his father died in Afghanistan. The story is woven together with a Russian fairy tale. A captivating plot that kept me interested, and the setting and descriptions of everyday life in Russia during those years drew me in as well.”

— Amy • A Great Good Place for Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Little Foxes Took Up Matches is a queer coming-of-age story set in late 90s Moscow and narrated by Mitya—a beautiful, observant, genderqueer boy. Amidst a dysfunctional family, Mitya admires his resourceful babushka and tries to avoid his predatory, wartorn cousin. In the process of avenging the death of his friend, a kind homeless man who accepted Mitya’s queerness, Mitya befriends an older Ukrainian girl, and the pair comes to know Moscow and themselves by way of the underground music scene. Despite many difficult obstacles, Mitya is incredibly resilient and spirited—one of the most memorable characters I’ve read in a long time. With folklore as its guiding light—Mitya’s chronicle of self-discovery is paralleled by an interluding fairytale—this character-driven novel is ultimately a queer love story, a love letter to queer youth. Jefferson Mays’ narration is a perfect complement.”

— Mary • Raven Book Store