Abbott’s last novel, Dare Me, was proof that this is an author who can write disturbed (obsessive, controlling, passionate) teenage girls. And she can write them well. Which is why The Fever comes as a disappointment: this should be cut from the same cloth, but in reality, it feels half-baked. Set in an American town, it begins with a popular high school girl suffering a seizure in class. She’s taken to hospital and kept there, so rumours are rife, particularly amongst her friends: high school girls. As this ‘fever’ spreads, and more girls fall ill, the girls who are well (and the police) try to figure out what’s causing this mysterious illness. The book’s big let-down is that this ‘investigating’ takes up three quarters of the novel, and though the writing is compelling, the plot is a bit disappointing. However, for a book to devour in one sitting on the beach, it ticks all the boxes.
