Fervour: The Secret History meets Jonathan Safran Foer meets The Royal Tenenbaums

About the Book

'Suspenseful . . . it propels the reader deep into the heart of an idiosyncratic family'

OBSERVER

'Stylish, puzzling, mystical'

FINANCIAL TIMES

'Magnificent'

NEW YORK TIMES

'Darkly comedic in parts, yet deeply disturbing and utterly compelling, Fervour is an exceptional debut novel'

JENNIE GODFREY, AUTHOR OF THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS

THE ROSENTHALS ARE NOT LIKE OTHER FAMILIES

Hannah and Eric are devout Jews living in North London with their three children and Eric's father, Yosef, a Holocaust survivor. 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 a sensationalist 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. Hannah begins to suspect that Elsie is losing herself among the shadowy corners of Jewish mysticism, but for Elsie's brother Tovyah, a brilliant but reclusive student at Oxford, the truth is much simpler: his sister is the product of a dysfunctional family, obsessed with empty rituals and unbridled ambition.

But who is right? And how can they stop the darkness from engulfing Elsie forever?

About the Author :
Toby Lloyd has published stories and essays in Carve Magazine, the Los Angeles Review of Books and elsewhere. He earned an MFA in creative writing from NYU and was longlisted for the 2021 V. S. Pritchett Short Story Prize. He lives in London.

Review :
This is a stylish, puzzling, mystical novel that offers no easy answers to how its characters - or its readers - might react in the wake of destruction. Inviting discussion rather than providing resolution, Fervour marks the arrival of an intriguing and intelligent new voice Lloyd's suspenseful debut novel propels the reader deep into the heart of an idiosyncratic family . . . Infused with motifs from Jewish folklore and classic horror films, Fervour animates themes of betrayal, belief and the past's long tail A North London Jewish family, by turns close-knit and dysfunctional, take centre stage in Lloyd's remarkable debut . . . Lloyd has given himself a large canvas, peopled with complex characters, but produced a work of real poignancy In one of the most perceptive of her late essays, 'God's Language', Toni Morrison sets out her objective as a novelist: 'to construct a work in which religious belief is central to the narrative itself.' How, she asks, can the writer use the language religion has handed us in a way that the 21st-century reader can hear? Not an easy task - but one that Toby Lloyd, in his magnificent, indelible debut novel, Fervour, takes on with confidence, and with resounding success . . . In the final act of Fervour, Lloyd orchestrates a meeting of his main characters at the Rosenthals' house. In scenes that echo the end of Philip Roth's American Pastoral, at a family dinner with everyone present, all the early promise of the novel comes to fruition . . . Also, biblical. Which puts me back in mind of that Toni Morrison essay. That a young British novelist, on his first try, should have so effectively taken up a gauntlet laid down by the greatest American novelist of an era might seem surprising. But maybe not . . . Enriching his story with detail and above all heart, Lloyd has crafted a lasting allegory of our dark historical time Lloyd splices paranormal chills with domestic intrigue in this tense debut about the disintegration of a devout Jewish family who suspect their daughter is possessed . . . A rich and dark stew that mixes ingredients from the Bible and the headlines, with a biting send-up of the vampiric nature of writing itself Toby Lloyd's slow burn of a debut novel is in the tradition of the pentagonal family saga, a subgenre that might include Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks and Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections . . . Fervour is written with a rare precision and lingers in the mind long after reading. The quality of Lloyd's prose alone ensures that anything he writes next will be worth investigating Intriguing, propulsive and profoundly disturbing, this is a fearless look into the dark heart of family politics from a naturally gifted storyteller Darkly comedic in parts, yet deeply disturbing and utterly compelling, Fervour is an exceptional debut novel, one that will stay with me. Fervour is the book we need now. Bracing, compassionate, wise, terrifying - this beautifully written novel will haunt your dreams. That is, if you can put it down long enough to get any sleep Both a provocative work of Jewish horror and a modern biblical tale, Fervour is the tightly coiled story of an idiosyncratic family whose unlikely survival skills also spell its doom A gripping and powerful story of a British Jewish family visited by ghosts and divided by politics . . . Fans of Isaac Bashevis Singer and Stephen King alike will thrill to this superb modern folk tale