The Fever

A Novel

By: Megan Abbott

Narrated by: Joe Barrett, Kirby Heyborne, Caitlin Davies

The panic unleashed by a mysterious contagion threatens the bonds of family and community in a seemingly idyllic suburban community in this "engrossing, disturbing, panic attack of a novel" from the award-winning author of The Turnout and Dare Me (Jodi Picoult).

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 Abbott's reputation as "one of the most exciting and original voices of her generation" (Laura Lippman).

Critic reviews

"With The Fever, Megan Abbott has created a mesmerizing, modern portrait of teenage life today: Brutal crushes, competing allegiances and first-bloom sensuality, all magnified by the rush and crush of technology. The Fever holds true to its title: It's dark, disturbing, strangely beautiful and utterly unshakeable."—Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl

"The Fever is a potboiler in the truest, best sense of that devalued word: Its ingredients are expertly combined, patiently agitated, and heated to an inexorable boil. But it's also a great novel, full stop, without any of the usual genre caveats, and I can think of no higher recommendation than that you'll want to read it twice: First insatiably, speeding through to find out just what's going to happen, and then again slowly, to savor the sharp, dare I say literary, insights about her characters that Abbott effortlessly scatters throughout."—Adam Sternbergh, Slate

"The book to beat...in the 'Is it the next Gone Girl?' sweepstakes.... [Megan Abbot has] exceptional gifts for making nerves jangle and skin crawl.... It's the book's constant throb of horror that keeps it gripping."—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"If the phenomena that led to the Salem Witch trials were to revisit the world today, it might very well look like the scenario in Megan Abbott's engrossing, disturbing, panic attack of a novel, The Fever. In a time when suicide and pregnancy pacts can go viral, this story of mass hysteria in a high school is not only completely plausible -- it's impossible to put down."—Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of The Storyteller

"No one understands the social dynamics of teenage girls better than Megan Abbott...settling into The Fever, one realizes that Abbott is setting a rhythm, one that's measured and paced with the brilliance of one of the best living mystery writers."—Kevin Nguyen, Grantland

"Once again, Abbott makes an unforgettable inquiry into the emotional lives of young people, this time balanced with parents' own fears and failings. It's also a powerful portrait of community, with interesting echoes of The Crucible: it's the twenty-first century, and, in many ways, we're still frightened villagers, terrified of the unknown. Abbott may be on her way to becoming a major writer."—Booklist (Starred Review)

"[Abbott] is a skilled storyteller, and The Fever is a gripping and unsettling novel."—Hannah Tennant-Moore, The New York Times Book Review

"[Megan Abbott is] a unique talent with a signature style that gets stronger with every book. With its confident plotting and lyrical prose, The Fever may be her best novel yet."—Los Angeles Times

Keeps ur interest!

Page turner. Performance was excellent! I didn't mind the teenager setting, it was fun! Really like this author's style

Terrible book - annoying narrators

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I'm not sure - the plot and storyline were weak.

What was most disappointing about Megan Abbott’s story?

It wasn't interesting. There were no twists, no suspense. The "secrets," advertised only amounted to teenage drama. Read this book because Gyllian Flynn recommended it and I am in a constant search for the next Gone Girl - but what I'm learning is Gyllian is a one hit wonder (her other books much weaker) and her recommendations suck.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?

The dad sounds like Paul Giamitti - he was ok. The tennie bopper voices for the girls made me want to jump out my office window. The brother was fine. Maybe if it was read in a normal voice, not teen voice I would have been less annoyed.

Any additional comments?

Save your credit. Or read Gone Girl if you haven't already.

I feel duped

What would have made The Fever better?

I'm tired of you guys misrepresenting these books that are clearly aimed at young adults. Maybe if I was 16 years old I'd enjoy this book. I want my money back. I want adult books. This was juvenile.

What could Megan Abbott have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

State that this is Young Adult fiction.

Quick read (or listen) nice beach book!

Entertaining enough, but not a serious literary event. Quick entertainment, soon forgotten, but there is a time for that, too! I generally prefer a deeper story with better drawn characters, but this may appeal to younger folks and those who don't expect a long, serious book.

Very Verbose While Revealing Little

The story started in an interesting way, but soon started to drag after Lis collapsed. Obviously the author was trying to keep the mystery in what was a predictable occurrence after such a trying event in a high school. This was obviously written for a younger audience; sex was glossed over, language was clean, and even the cliques were played down.