The Fever

By: Megan Abbott

Narrated by: Joe Barrett, Megan Abbott, Caitlin Davies, Kirby Heyborne

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

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).

©2014 Megan Abbott (P)2014 Hachette Audio

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)

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.

Frightening very disturbing.

I would not recommend this book to anyone. It is too disturbing. The power of cliques. The power of fantasy. The power of manipulation. I enjoyed it. It was well written and very well performed. But I was glad when it was over. I will not read it again.

it's a struggle

I'm actually annoyed by being on chapter 6 now and the book is going around in circles talking about a girl who had a seizure. her friends wont stop talking about it for 6 flipping chapters. I keep waiting for the rest of the story. when does it start? I struggle...

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.

Too much sex and 'F' word for me.

I thought the overall story was okay but it had way too much sex and swearing for me to enjoy it.

Lacking in something

I really wanted to love this, but halfway through, I gave up. It seemed to drag on forever and I could not seem to force myself to finish.

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.

Teenie bopper book

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, but it would be a good teen book except for the language and adult situations

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The end was predictable and boring.

Would you be willing to try another one of the narrators’s performances?

The main Narrator was irritating especially when he tried to imitate a women's voice. I had a hard time finishing the book because of that.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No