The Fever by Megan Abbott
Deenie is a typical teenager
enjoying high school with her two best friends when her world is turned upside
down. During class one afternoon
Deenie’s best friend for years has what appears to be a seizure and is rushed
to the hospital. Deenie tries to get
answers, but no one knows what is wrong with Lise. Then days later her other best friend, Gabby,
looks like she’s suffering from a similar attack during an orchestral
concert. From there things dissolve into
chaos as more and more girls fall victim to this strange ailment. Is it a horrible side effect from the HPV
vaccine? Or is something else more
insidious at work?
I recommend the audiobook because
the story is told from the perspective of the three members of the Nash family:
Deenie, the friend of the first two that show symptoms of illness; Eli, her
older brother and handsome hockey star; and her father, also a school teacher
where all the afflicted girls attend.
All three storytellers are voiced by a different reader which really
brings the story to life.
I read somewhere that the book was
compared to the Salem Witch Trials and you can see the parallels, but not until
you’re really into the book. If you keep
that notion in the back of your mind you’ll get a glimpse of what’s really
going on with the sicknesses. Mystery,
horror and psychological study rolled into one this book captures the emotional
turmoil at the core of being an adolescent girl. I’ve enjoyed Abbott’s past two books and am
eagerly waiting for whatever she does next.
