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miaaa_lenaaa's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Much preferred this to the previous book i read by schweblin, a curious fever dream following a mother piecing together her memories and trying to protect her daughter
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Child death, and Terminal illness
ribbenkast's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
This book is exactly what the title suggests: a complete fever dream.
The prose and storytelling devise were interesting enough. I liked the themes of motherhood, grief and the various motives used by the author. Overall I think this book is very clever and has all the checkmarks of becoming a future classic.
But (and this might be a translation issue) I found it hard to understand what was going on. Despite It's overall literary quality I couldn't quite manage to connect with the book personally. I like unreliable narrotors, especially ones that also have no clue about what is actually happening, but I felt like the hints that are supposed to tell the reader what was actually going on where too hidden away in throwaway lines and are easily missed. You have to be paying attention to every single little word in every sentence and whilst I can respect that whenever an author is doing that, I just didnt care much for it with this particular story.
Also, the back blurb and especially the recommendation qoutes on the inside promised me a bone chilling horror story that would "make me lock the doors at night". Why? The "danger" in the book (if you could call it that) has nothing to do with horror and does not leave you spooked.
The prose and storytelling devise were interesting enough. I liked the themes of motherhood, grief and the various motives used by the author. Overall I think this book is very clever and has all the checkmarks of becoming a future classic.
But (and this might be a translation issue) I found it hard to understand what was going on. Despite It's overall literary quality I couldn't quite manage to connect with the book personally. I like unreliable narrotors, especially ones that also have no clue about what is actually happening, but I felt like the hints that are supposed to tell the reader what was actually going on where too hidden away in throwaway lines and are easily missed. You have to be paying attention to every single little word in every sentence and whilst I can respect that whenever an author is doing that, I just didnt care much for it with this particular story.
Also, the back blurb and especially the recommendation qoutes on the inside promised me a bone chilling horror story that would "make me lock the doors at night". Why? The "danger" in the book (if you could call it that) has nothing to do with horror and does not leave you spooked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Child death, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Death, Grief, Medical content, and Pandemic/Epidemic
gotnoculture's review
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
ulrike's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
wannabeedreamer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I feel like the story fell flat for a couple of reasons
- I didn’t like the mystical aspects of the story, like how David was mysteriously doing things or the greenhouse because it made me expect more at the end of the book and nothing happened that was a “big magic reveal” or something
- I don’t like books where the title gives away the story, cause you read the title, know that’s what the story is, but you want it to be more and discover the story yourself. I wanted to be surprised it was a fever dream but at the same time that trope is (in my opinion) more lazy and overused. However this wasn’t AS bad as the typical “it was all a dream” because you’re aware it’s a dream, minus the David part
I honestly would’ve enjoyed it a lot more if it just focused on her in this poisoned environment not aware WITHOUT all the mystical elements. This could’ve very well been a realistic horror novella on its own without the supernatural elements. Overall I did enjoy reading the books aside from being confused from time to time, and even though I was disappointed after finishing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Terminal illness
lazydazey's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
hypnopedia's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Very quick read, still some questions. This book reads like Bojack Horseman's View From Halfway Down episode. If you know, you know.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror and Terminal illness
librarymouse's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I'm really not sure what to think of this book. It's very consumable. I read it in just over an hour. At a few points, I wondered if this book is an allegory for the changes that occur when a child starts showing signs of autism, since both David and Nina are noted to line up things just before their poisoning becomes severe. I'm not sure that that is the case, but this book, as per the title, reads like a fever dream. There's definitely a commentary being made on the visibility of disabled children, how they're viewed when the disability is developed, and on a wealth disparity between the urban well to do and the rural poor.
I'm sure if I were to read this again and again, I'd find a new understanding each time.
the confirmation of the migrations being done in the greenhouse being real, at the end, is an interesting twist (?). I don't know that it can be called a twist because David is co narrating, and were told by Carla that it is real, but Amanda's scepticism is infectious. Nina being in David's body at the end of the book, unrecognized by her father is heartbreaking. Carla saying that if she could have another child, she'd want one like Nina is made all the more unsettling and sad with the ending. Her tying knots, as if trying to reinstate the snapped, ineffable rope that connects her to her mother
I'm sure if I were to read this again and again, I'd find a new understanding each time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Terminal illness
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Animal death, Child death, and Confinement
kalira's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Terminal illness
Moderate: Child death
f18's review
dark
sad
tense
fast-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, and Death
Minor: Ableism and Medical content