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A review by annadominic
Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Genuinely, genuinely unsettling. This was the first horror novel I read — although I’m not quite sure ‘horror’ is the right word. Of course, there are plenty of horror elements in this surrealist novel, but the most striking elements are the small, uncanny happenings, the subtle pieces of the story that stay with you long after the story has ended, and send shivers down your spine as you’re reading them, impossible to forget.
From the very first pages, a slow feeling of dread came over me that never let up all the way till the end of the book— and even after completing it. Even now, as I sit here typing this after reading, that horrible feeling of anxiety tightening in my chest won’t quite go away. The dread builds and builds in this story with no relief, and the immersive feel of the writing, suffocating and feverish, only compounds this effect.
From the very first pages, a slow feeling of dread came over me that never let up all the way till the end of the book— and even after completing it. Even now, as I sit here typing this after reading, that horrible feeling of anxiety tightening in my chest won’t quite go away. The dread builds and builds in this story with no relief, and the immersive feel of the writing, suffocating and feverish, only compounds this effect.