*This event will feature a conversation with Megan Abbott and Jack Pendarvis*
Description
The panic unleashed by a
mysterious contagion threatens the bonds of family and community in a
seemingly idyllic suburban community.
The Nash family is
close-knit. Tom is a popular teacher, father of two teens: Eli, a hocky
star and girl magnet, and his sister Deenie, a diligent student. Their
seeming stability, however, is thrown into chaos when Deenie's best
friend is struck by a terrifying, unexplained seizure in class. Rumors
of a hazardous outbreak spread through the family, school and community.
As hysteria and contagion swell, a series of tightly held secrets emerges, threatening to unravel friendships, families and the town's fragile idea of security.
A chilling story about guilt, family secrets and the lethal power of desire, THE FEVER affirms Megan Abbott's reputation as "one of the most exciting and original voices of her generation."*
*Laura Lippman
About the Author
Megan Abbott is the Edgar Award-winning author of six previous novels. She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University and has taught literature, writing, and film studies at New York University, the New School, and the State University of New York at Oswego. She lives in New York City.
Praise for The Fever…
"With The Fever, Megan Abbott has created a mesmerizing,
modern portrait of teenage life today: Brutal crushes, competing
allegiances and first-bloom sensuality, all magnified by the rush and
crush of technology. The Fever holds true to its title: It's dark, disturbing, strangely beautiful and utterly unshakeable."—Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl
PRAISE FOR DARE ME:
"Dare Me hurtles past the glitter and angst of high-school cheerleading, right to the bruising inner struggles of adolescence."—New York Magazine
"Lord of the Flies set in a high-school cheerleading squad...Tense, dark, and beautifully written."—Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl
"Megan Abbott, an Edgar-winning crime writer, drew inspiration from Lord of the Flies for her sexy and sinister new novel, Dare Me,
which lays bare the cruel, confused longings of a group of high-school
cheerleaders, and is the perfect way to forget yourself on a turbulent
transatlantic flight."—Maud Newton, New York Times Magazine
"Megan Abbott has cornered the 'dark desires of teenage girls' territory too, with Dare Me."—Sarah Weinman, Salon
"Make
no mistake, this is no pulpy teenage tale: It's a very grown-up look at
youth culture and how bad behavior can sometimes be redeemed by a
couple of good decisions."—Sara Nelson, O, the Oprah Magazine
"A
heady tale of high-school drama with grown-up stakes...Abbott's
rendering of the power-plays, rites of bonding and twisted loyalties of
teenage girls is pitch-perfect. As much as Dare Me is page-turning murder mystery, it is also an ode to the dark side of girlhood friendship and all its twisted loyalties."—Mythili Rao, The Daily Beast
"Moody thriller...If cheerleaders scared you in high school, you'll finish the haunting Dare Me convinced you were right."—Kim Hubbard, People, 3 out of 4 Stars
"A compelling, compulsive read."—Michele Ross, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Dark high school thriller...Having won an Edgar for her 1940s-era femme fatale novel Queenpin, Abbott knows how to write a hard-boiled classic in the vein of Raymond Chandler. But what's exciting about Dare Me
is how it makes that traditionally masculine genre feel distinctly
female. It feels groundbreaking when Abbott takes noir conventions -
loss of innocence, paranoia, the manipulative sexuality of newly
independent women - and suggests that they're rooted in high school,
deep in the hearts of all-American girls. She understands the intensity
of female relationships, and she knows that some 15-year-olds can't be
best friends until they're willing to destroy the competition."—Melissa Maerz, Entertainment Weekly
"Megan Abbott has been called the Queen of Noir...Her new novel, Dare Me,
is something of a switch for Abbott in that it's about a cheerleading
squad, though - trust us - it's still quite hard-boiled...A contemporary
novel about a cheerleading squad that somehow manages to be as dark and
sinister as any of Abbott's fiction."—Sherryl Connely, New York Daily News
"If
your image of high school cheerleaders is pretty, perky, healthy,
wholesome young women, you may be shocked by the gritty, cutthroat,
twisted world of cheer in Megan Abbott's sneaker-noir Dare Me...Abbott
knows how to build suspense, drop clues like gum wrappers on a gym
floor, and blindside the reader. The twists are the fun part...Abbott is
best in the nasty, manipulative dialogue, as Beth controls the squad
with her vicious tongue, and in Addy's confused inner monologues, where
she relishes any attention from Coach French...Some will be riveted by
the complex resolution."—Regan McMahon, San Francisco Chronicle
"The plot's myriad twists and turns, like the precarious pyramids the cheerleaders perfect, are intriguing and unexpected."—USA Today
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