Tim Applegate

Laconic narration, multiple points of view, hauntingly evocative scenery, and a wealth of deeply flawed characters—all this and more characterize Fever Tree by Tim Applegate. The story is set against a background of drugs and poverty, moving from Mexico to Florida. The mysterious stranger in town tells nothing about himself, but his thoughts slowly reveal his past, and there’s a pleasing secret to his present waiting for the reader to find it out. Meanwhile darker characters house darker histories and secrets. Danger, like drugs, is the worm on the hook and the reader is compelled to see it through.

Swift point of view changes fit the story well, with characters unsure of any guiding hand but looking for a plan or a future. Like the drugs, the narration can be occasionally disorienting. But Fever Tree is a truly compelling story, with a writing style that reminds this reader of Kent Haruf’s Plainsong, a story arc that reveals both history and destination, and an ending that’s breathlessly satisfying and memorable.

Disclosure: I borrowed it from a friend.… (meer)