An absorbing and intelligent debut The Big Issue --The Big Issue

It's a July 12th bank holiday weekend in Dundrug, "Ireland's Las Vegas", and 16 year old Jerome Maguire, the town's one gothic punk, communist and poet laureate (self elected), wants to "find out about love". Armed with one condom to do so, Jerome, as the town fills with holiday makers from Belfast, Derry and ... Frankfurt, will get more than he bargains for. Celtic Tiger at home and Peace Process across the border notwithstanding, the Troubles still persist, in English-born Jerome's head at least, if not in others.

Gerry Feehily was born in London and grew up in Ireland. After his studies he lived in Japan, Italy and Spain before settling in Paris. His articles on French Literature and European politics have appeared in the Independent, New Statesman, and the Irish Examiner. He is currently working on the The Inner Circle, his second novel.

2007-09-03 Sparky intelligent debut

In just 130 pages (more a novella) Feehily manages to distill all the hopes, fears and philosophies of youth. Set in a seaside resort in Ireland, it's narrated by one Jerome Maguire, a tortured sixteen year old Goth punk, who wants to lose his virginity, with far from successful results. Not least because the tough working class town he lives in is over-run with terrorists and animal liberationists! I don't want to give the ending away, but after a while you begin to wonder whether the object of his affection - the high strung poetess Siobhan - isn't a figment of his imagination, and the ending - with a kind of Usual Suspects carpet swept under your feet moment - is truly disorienting. Fever is really funny and beautifully written. My only complaint is its length and perhaps the Irish political bits in it will be lost on a lot of readers, but I think it might become a cult classic. Anyway it's great to see that there are still Irish authors capable of a fresh take on the national obsessions of politics, religion and sex.