The Fervor
The attack on Pearl Harbor upends Meiko’s life. Sent to the U.S. for an arranged marriage with a Japanese farmer, she instead chooses an American pilot. This doesn’t protect her, or her daughter, Aiko, from forced internment in Idaho. At first, Meiko dismisses Aiko’s disturbing drawings and her confession that she’s seeing yōkai (spirits). But as internees and guards fall mysteriously ill with “the Fervor,” incidents of unexplainable violence begin to occur, and Meiko realizes something evil has infiltrated the camp.
Meanwhile, a reporter pursues a story on strange balloons floating to the ground in the Northwest, balloons that kill and spread a sickness—which the U.S. government will go to untold lengths to cover up.
The Fervor is a somewhat schizophrenic novel, with entertainment potential sometimes eschewed in favor of polemic. Katsu is known for skillful historical horror (e.g., The Hunger), but this is more a discourse on anti-Asian racism, drifting so far from Katsu’s previous works that, in an afterword, she offers explanation to fans about why she didn’t give them what they were expecting. Elements for a unique, chilling tale are here (e.g., demons from Japanese folklore), but furtherance of the messaging can subsume atmosphere and plot continuity. Critics will doubtless be effusive due to the social message, but one wishes for organic incorporation in a way that would’ve enhanced a horror story (racism is horrific), rather than hamstring it. The creepiest parts of the novel are its initial chapters and framing device: the 1920s tale of a Japanese scientist who encounters the jorōgumo (spider demon) on a cursed island. With managed expectations, this is well worth a read, especially for commentary on America’s shameful institution of internment, but it isn’t Katsu’s best when it comes to gripping historical horror.
