Anansi International, April 30, 2016.
Three Stars
Fever at Dawn is a novel based on a series of letters, written by the author’s
parents during a short period following World War II. Gardos’ parents had always
been silent about their experiences during the war and its aftermath. It’s not
until his father dies that his mother decides to give her son the letters that
chronicle the beginning of their relationship.
Shortly after WWII, as the concentration camps were
liberated and the survivors freed, Europe was inundated with refugees. Many found
themselves in Sweden, destitute and in ill health. Miklos, a twenty-five year old
Hungarian rescued from the Bergen-Belsen camp, is one of these survivors. He
has already been through unimaginable circumstances, and when he arrives at the
hospital in Sweden, things get even worse – Miklos is diagnosed with
tuberculosis and given six months to live.
After everything he has been through, and having
lived through the darkest days of the war, Miklos refuses to accept the fate
that his doctors have offered him. He believes he can live through his illness,
but he won’t do it alone – he writes 117 letters to young women in Sweden who
are also recovering from the camps, hoping one of them will become his wife.
Nineteen-year-old Lili is bedridden in a different
Swedish hospital due to serious kidney disease when she receives Miklos’ letter.
She replies, mostly out of boredom, and the letters soon move from formality to
a place of great intimacy. Despite many obstacles, including poor health and
the distance between them, Miklos and Lili fall in love and are eventually able
to meet. Their love story is kind of unbelievable because it is so sudden, but
the two are clinging to life after the horrors of war, and I can see how they
would grasp happiness wherever they can find it.
The novel is surprisingly light and hopeful, in spite
of its dark subject matter. Neither Miklos nor Lili spend any time feeling
sorry for themselves, regardless of the losses they have experienced. It’s
difficult to reconcile their tragic pasts with their sometimes frivolous
actions, but they are still very young. The story is also about Miklos and Lili’s
friends, and their unique stories of survival and grief. What I found
especially interesting was the couple’s willingness – even eagerness – to give
up their Jewish faith and convert to Catholicism. They feel like Judaism has
already cost them so much, and were not that devout to begin with. While some
Holocaust survivors had their faith strengthened by their experiences, others
found that it did nothing but hurt them. It’s an interesting concept to
consider.
Fever at Dawn is a slim novel, filled with short episodic scenes that are
somewhat jarring as they jump from one to the next. It is told in a light,
almost humorous style, but the tone is used to disguise its dark themes. For
me, the discord between medium and message was too strong to truly enjoy this
novel – I always felt I was outside of it looking in, as opposed to being
completely immersed in the story of Miklos and Lili. As Gardos is a film
director by trade, I found myself thinking that this seemed more like a
screenplay than a novel. Perhaps it would be more successful when applied to
the big screen. It’s also important to note that this was originally written in
Hungarian, and much may be lost in translation.
I received this novel from Anansi International and Goodreads
First Reads in exchange for an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment