The Fervor

Rating: 4/5 Spiders

If you were being held captive and a scary, violent illness infected everyone around you, what would you do? Would you think it’s bad luck? Is it some kind of biological warfare? Or is it a demon’s wrath?

In Alma Katsu’s The Fervor, Meiko and her daughter, Aiko, are in an internment camp where something is going around that makes people sick and violent and eventually kills them. It soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary sickness; something sinister is happening, and Meiko and Aiko may be the only people who can figure out what it is and stop it. 

The Fervor is a haunting and beautiful story about forgiveness, racism, and pain. Katsu is an expert at writing about real historical events with tact and compassion. She doesn’t sensationalize or downplay the horrors of the camps. She captures the real terrors of the internment camps and imagines horrors caused by the fictional mysterious illness spread through the camp.

The Fervor explores themes of redemption, family, and forgiveness. Throughout the book, Archie Mitchell, a friend of Meiko’s family, grapples with his betrayal of her family and struggles to redeem himself. The Fervor explores what it takes to earn forgiveness and how to forgive yourself.

The most compelling (but most devastating) element of the book is the way Katsu writes about racism against Asian Americans. The parallels to the hate crimes and violence many Asian Americans face, especially in light of COVID-19, are upsetting and show how this country really hasn’t come that far. You have to read The Fervor’s Afterword; it explores some of the violent attacks Asians have experienced in the United States, and she challenges the notion that atrocities that happen in other countries “can’t happen here.”

The Fervor is a must-read book for history fans. If you liked Alma Katsu’s other books, you’ll love The Fervor.