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marshalls_library 's review for:
The Fervor
by Alma Katsu
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Alma Katsu has made a name for herself by imbuing historical fiction with horror/thriller elements, so using the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII as a way to shine a light on what was happening in the U.S. during the pandemic was an admirable project for her to take on.
Unfortunately The Fervor reads very much like a book where Katsu knew the point she wanted to make, but then constructed everything else around it, to the detriment of plot, character development, and consistency.
Using the Japanese Fu-Go balloon bombs as the historical basing for the rest of the story, Katsu reimagines these as the delivery method for a virus-based attack (which is very on the nose with the covid-related aspect of this book), but also ties in a Japanese folk lore element that never really goes anywhere.
With that relatively weak starting point, the rest of the story rambles along with plot holes, loose ends, and underdeveloped characters. The book then ends rather abruptly, and it felt to me like she had written herself into a corner and just threw in an uninspired thriller-style ending where she wrapped up of all the things she'd either left you wondering about (or that you had forgotten completely). It honestly felt very much like a Scooby Doo episode ending.
To be clear, my opinions on this book aren't dismissing or otherwise making light of what was happening in the U.S. a few years ago (having worked for an Asian American owned small business gave me a depressing and scary view of it). At the end of the day, I just think this book was a bit of a mess.
Unfortunately The Fervor reads very much like a book where Katsu knew the point she wanted to make, but then constructed everything else around it, to the detriment of plot, character development, and consistency.
Using the Japanese Fu-Go balloon bombs as the historical basing for the rest of the story, Katsu reimagines these as the delivery method for a virus-based attack (which is very on the nose with the covid-related aspect of this book), but also ties in a Japanese folk lore element that never really goes anywhere.
With that relatively weak starting point, the rest of the story rambles along with plot holes, loose ends, and underdeveloped characters. The book then ends rather abruptly, and it felt to me like she had written herself into a corner and just threw in an uninspired thriller-style ending where she wrapped up of all the things she'd either left you wondering about (or that you had forgotten completely). It honestly felt very much like a Scooby Doo episode ending.
To be clear, my opinions on this book aren't dismissing or otherwise making light of what was happening in the U.S. a few years ago (having worked for an Asian American owned small business gave me a depressing and scary view of it). At the end of the day, I just think this book was a bit of a mess.