By Amber McGee
Weekly Reader Columnist
Nothing sells better than high school drama.
Teenagers who live it can’t help but keep the cycle going, and adults find themselves so fascinated with the topic that they write and produce hundreds of stories about it. The Fever is, in respect, just another one of those stories. The only thing that saves this novel from being another teen drama written by an adult is Megan Abbott’s exceptional writing. It’s with her skillful descriptions and imagery that this otherwise weak story becomes a compelling.
When star student Lise Daniels has a seizure in the middle of class everyone is convinced it’s just a freak thing. The school is shaken, but it’s not until another girl suffers the same kind of attack during a concert that the hysteria starts. With just a few photos and videos the small town of Dryden is shoved into the national spotlight. As more and more girls experience the same attacks speculations fly, everyone desperate to find an answer. Just what is the cause of this mysterious affliction? Is it the off-limits toxic lake near town, or is it an unforeseen side effect of the HPV vaccines they all received?
What stands out about this novel isn’t its plot, its characters, or its setting. The true strength of the novel is how one could easily imagine it happening in real life. Without giving away too much; let’s just say that there’s been numerous stories on the news that cause people to share them on Facebook and hashtag #faithinhumanitylost, and what happens in this book is definitely something worthy of one of those posts.
Part of what makes The Fever so interesting is how Abbott manages to make it feel like an adult novel even though it’s about high school girls. Most books about teenagers, though written by adults, are aimed at teenagers. Without even examining them closely they simply give off a feeling that says, “hey, this book is going to be not too advanced but not too easy, and it’s probably going to involve parties and stuff because isn’t that what teenagers do nowadays?” Not once did it ever feel like that in this book. Sure, there were parts where it felt disconnected, but it’s only because of personal experiences–or lack there of. That’s why everyone who reads this book will have different reactions to how things play out. Shock, disgust, disbelief, etc. It’s possible to feel everything and nothing at the same time, making the read all that more interesting.
If there is one complaint to be made about this story it’s the characters. The Nash family–Deenie, Eli, and their father Tom–are the main narrators in the novel, and it was hard to connect with any of them. Most of the time their actions or thoughts created only frustration. Ironically, the readers annoyance at the actions taking place in the book, or once again the lack of, will mirror the irritation of the characters themselves at the lack of answers. Still, when your main narrators are had to emphasize with, it makes convincing your audience that everything that’s bad is bad harder.
Like most mystery novels the first half of the book is almost all exposition. Characters and their relationships are set up, the setting is expanded on, and most importantly, there are no real answers and very few clues, leaving all the girls at school to scratch their heads and bite their nails in fear of falling victim to the seizures next. Suspense and drama filled the second half of the novel as Deenie and her brother get closer to finding out the truth of what’s been happening. The second half of the book is much better and enjoyable than the first. Ending wise, again like most mystery novels, there’ll be one or two questions left unanswered, but for the most part everything wraps up so-so.
Readers who enjoyed Gone Girl may enjoy this novel, and for those who read it and can’t get enough of Megan Abbott, her novel Dare Me has received just as much, if not more, praise than The Fever.