Today’s guest is Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor, a fantastic novel set in 1944, that tangles the lives of a newspaper reporter, a newly ordained minister, Japanese internees, and a Japanese scientist around a mysterious illness. The narrative alternates among several characters, drawing them together as more is revealed about the illness spreading through the internment camp and the appearance of dangerous balloons or parachutes in several states. Not only have I read this book twice, it’s currently up for a Bram Stoker Award in a few weeks.
A blend of historical events such as Roosevelt’s executive order forcing Japanese Americans into internment camps and supernatural elements from Japanese folklore, the story transforms into a reminder of the United States’ short memory of its own atrocities and its long history of anti-Asian sentiment, violence, and racism. Find The Fervor on Amazon here.
A perfect book, and interview, during Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
