Fever DreamFever Dream
Score Modern
What it's about
A young woman named Amanda lies dying in a rural clinic, and a boy named David sits beside her. Together they tell a haunting story of broken souls, toxins and the desperate power of family.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the International Booker Prize. It's absorbing, unsettling and taut.
You'll love it if you liked
Mouthful of Birds
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed
Cursed BunnyGood to know
It's short and eerie.
By the numbers
- Readers14 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics27 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller23 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz5 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #458 of the 504 fantasy books we rank
- #1535 of the 1,647 modern books we rank
- #2876 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping, Dark, Moving
If you like this, read next
The Green Mile
House of Leaves
The Shadow of the Wind
Ninth House
Storm Front
The Library at Mount CharExplore the best-of lists
All 47 best-of lists →
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,647 ranked
Books of the 2010sTop 25 · 751 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedQuick answers
Is Fever Dream worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the International Booker Prize. It ranks #2,876 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 55.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Fever Dream about?
A young woman named Amanda lies dying in a rural clinic, and a boy named David sits beside her. Together they tell a haunting story of broken souls, toxins and the desperate power of family.
How long does it take to read Fever Dream?
About 5 hours (190 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Fever Dream?
If you liked it, try Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin, The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez or Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung.