The Fever
by Megan Abbott
Summary: The panic unleashed by a mysterious contagion threatens the bonds of family and community in a seemingly idyllic suburban community.
The Nash family is close-knit. Tom is a popular teacher, father of two teens: Eli, a hockey star and girl magnet, and his sister Deenie, a diligent student. Their seeming stability, however, is thrown into chaos when Deenie's best friend is struck by a terrifying, unexplained seizure in class. Rumors of a hazardous outbreak spread through the family, school and community.
As hysteria and contagion swell, a series of tightly held secrets emerges, threatening to unravel friendships, families and the town's fragile idea of security.
A chilling story about guilt, family secrets and the lethal power of desire, The Fever affirms Megan Abbot's reputation as "one of the most exciting and original voices of her generation" (Laura Lippman).
Source: I purchased a Kindle copy.
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Review:
The Fever was awesome. It was dark, mysterious, captivating, and very well written. I’m blown away by the story and the way it all unfolded. It began with Lise having what appeared to be a seizure. Panic ensued. What was happening? As soon as other girls began to suffer, crazy theories were being tossed around. But like any good story about a small town, the author explored various relationships and events between the characters.
The Fever wasn’t necessarily about the fever. If you want a book that took on an illness, found the cause, and ended, you don’t want to read this book. The Fever took the fever and developed a multifaceted story around it. Instead of getting a story focused on a fever and the cause, we got a good look at the characters, the hysteria and panic, and showed the way the existence of the fever gripped the residents. We saw the way parents got crazy and ridiculous and the way rumors spread. Deenie, who was friends with all of the afflicted girls, couldn’t figure out the cause because anything she thought of included her and she was fine. Why was she fine?
The story was told from the points of view of Deenie, Eli, and their father, Tom Nash, and those points of views were all significant to developing the story. There were secrets, relationships, pasts, and connections that all mattered when it was all said and done. I loved the intertwining strings and the mystery of what really caused the fever and why it happened.
I loved The Fever. I highly recommend it. It was dark, addicting, and I couldn’t put it down. I loved the way it ended and the way it wasn’t really a story about an affliction so much as it was a story about people in the town. I definitely understand how readers may have been surprised by the direction of the story and even a little disappointed that there wasn't more of a focus on the epidemic, but what I don't understand is how readers couldn't be addicted to and captivated by it. I admit I was a little taken aback by the events, but once I got a good glimpse at the characters, I wanted more.
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