Fervor, Toby Lloyd
Fervor, Toby Lloyd
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

Fervor

Author: Toby Lloyd

Narrator: Genevieve Gaunt

Unabridged: 9 hr 28 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/19/2024


Synopsis

* FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION and DEBUT FICTION * FINALIST FOR THE SAMI ROHR PRIZE *

A “magnificent” (The New York Times), chilling, and unforgettable story of a close-knit British Jewish family pushed to the brink when they suspect their daughter is a witch.

Hannah and Eric Rosenthal are devout Jews living in North London with their three children and Eric’s father Yosef, a Holocaust survivor. Both intellectually gifted and deeply unconventional, the Rosenthals believe in the literal truth of the Old Testament and in the presence of God (and evil) in daily life. As Hannah prepares to publish an account of Yosef's years in war-torn Europe—unearthing a terrible secret from his time in the camps—Elsie, her perfect daughter, starts to come undone. And then, in the wake of Yosef’s death, she disappears. When she returns, just as mysteriously as she left, she is altered in disturbing ways.

Witnessing the complete transformation of her daughter, Hannah begins to suspect that Elsie has delved too deep into the labyrinths of Jewish mysticism and gotten lost among shadows. But for Elsie’s brother Tovyah, the truth is much simpler: his sister is the product of a dysfunctional family, obsessed with rituals, traditions, and unbridled ambition. But who is right? Is religion the cure for the disease or the disease itself? And how can they stop the darkness from engulfing Elsie completely?

Bristling with the energy of a great campus novel and the unsettling, ever-shifting ground of a great horror tale, Fervor is a powerful family story—and “fans of Isaac Bashevis Singer and Stephen King alike will thrill to this superb modern folk tale” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

About Toby Lloyd

Toby Lloyd was born in London to a secular father and a Jewish mother. He studied English at Oxford University before moving to America to pursue an MFA in creative writing at NYU. He has published short stories and essays in Carve Magazine and the Los Angeles Review of Books and was longlisted for the 2021 V. S. Pritchett Short Story Prize. He lives in London.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ruben on January 10, 2024

3,5 - This certainly kept me interested, but ultimately left me slightly dissatisfied. It is the story of the siblings Tovyah and Elsie, growing up in a religious Jewish household in London and starting to rebel against their parents each in their own way. As the brilliant but insufferable Tolvyah mo......more

Goodreads review by Cynthia on April 09, 2024

I was curious about Fervor, but hadn’t expected to be completely swept away by the content. I borrowed it from the library, read the first few pages to gauge my interest, and found myself immediately captivated. Fervor loosely reminded me of A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay in its contortion o......more

Goodreads review by Marissa on February 26, 2024

I was extremely impressed with this debut novel. Unlike anything I’ve ever ready before, I was captured from the very beginning I don’t agree that this is necessarily a horror story- to me it’s more of a social commentary in the mirror of religion/religious extremism. Every character served a purpos......more

Goodreads review by Panda on November 01, 2024

Audiobook (9 hours) narrated by Genevieve Gaunt Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio While the narration is decent, the audio is flawed. There are some mildly obvious edits, along with some very mild volume inconsistencies. By mild, you will hear a volume fluctuation but it isn't something that is jarrin......more

Goodreads review by Lara on February 16, 2024

E-ARC received from Edelweiss, thank you for the opportunity! It's not a ghost story, even though there might be a ghost, and the ghosts of the past are everywhere. It's about faith, and how even not having faith is still a kind of belief. It's about how you can never fully understand another person,......more


Quotes

"...Gaunt keeps listeners engaged, tracking the curious qualities of all five of the dysfunctional Rosenthal family members. Gaunt’s portrayals and dynamic scenes allow the characters’ realities to depict weighty issues such as Jewish mysticism."