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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
Some violence from the survivalist group leader; fevered people are disturbing in their repetition
Language
Some
Adult language throughout
Sexual Content
Some
Adult sexual relationship; an affair
Substance Use
Barely any
Some alcohol and drug use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The psychological weight of the fever as metaphor for capitalist alienation; the horror of watching people die while performing their routines; survivor guilt
What this book is about
Candace Chen works in New York producing Bibles when Shen Fever begins—a fungal plague that causes people to repeat the final rituals of their normal lives until they die. Candace keeps working long after Manhattan empties, documenting the end on a blog. Eventually she joins a survivalist group heading to 'the Facility.' Ling Ma's satirical horror novel uses the apocalypse to examine late capitalism, the alienation of immigrant experience, and what it means to build a life around productivity.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
The Shen Fever depicted in quietly disturbing detail
Some violence from a coercive group dynamic
An affair and its emotional weight
Reader Verification
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