Reviews

Unsettling.
Confusing.
Haunting.
The writing is beautiful and the narrative purposefully confuses the reader, putting us in this "fever dream" state alongside the main character. There's a lot to unpack in such a short story. So. Many. Questions. (But what's the important thing??) Ominous throughout, including the end, so be warned. All around creepy and I'll probably pick it up to reread in 2023.

parsleyperson's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

illustrativemisfit's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

jmpconstant's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

trin's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Experimental literary horror. Schweblin creates an impressive amount of tension in events (mostly) mundane, through this short novel's unique form: a hazy, whispered dialogue between a dying woman and a strange boy. I liked the formal inventiveness, though the actual story remained opaque -- there is political commentary I feel like I didn't fully get (pesticide use in Argentina is bad?) and an open-endedness to the conclusion that I found more confusing than unsettling.

aayyashley's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Fever Dream truly reads like one. Beyond the surreal conversation that drives the telling of the story, the characters involved are inexplicably neurotic before the conflict even begins. Between Carla’s cluelessness and Amanda’s paranoia, the story has little room to breathe and become actually horrific, and instead just feels inevitable. I was intrigued by the mystery of the poison and its relationship to the land, but unfortunately the story strayed quickly from that point. Overall, I think the premise and the narrative frame were interesting and effective, but the development of a meaningful impact was lost to the lack of character depth.

curiousintrovert's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

uniquely told. like a play. read it in one sitting, late at night. you must surrender and not overthink. allow the story to wash over you. using horror to explore the cultural issue in both Argentina and the world with toxins in the soil and water is inspired and not at all an over done or pushed on the reader. it is more nuanced. tense, fevered, relentless, dark, visceral, confusing but not confusing, strange, intriguing, haunting. not soon forgotten.

More...