Being an orphan, recently single, and generally dispassionate and apathetic, Candace accepts an offer from management of a large financial compensation in exchange for staying in New York and keeping the office open. The method by which the infection spreads seems unclear, at least at first.Īs the epidemic spreads, people begin to flee the cities, returning home to their families.

They are similar to zombies, except that they pose no threat, not being violent or even really cognizant of the people around them. The fevered continue their routines, pushing fruit carts around the city, folding clothing at their retail jobs, eating dinner with their families (imaginary food off of empty plates) dozens of times every night, until they die from lack of food and water. Living in her own little world, Candace barely notices at first that the city is succumbing to an epidemic: Shen Fever, a fungal infection that causes its victims to slowly lose self-awareness or spontaneity, until they are reduced to endless repetition of their everyday tasks while their bodies break down.

By the time the novel begins, they have recently broken up, as Jonathan decided to leave NYC. She goes to work at her office job, coordinating the manufacture of special edition Bibles in Chinese factories, and then she returns to either her studio apartment or the basement apartment of her boyfriend, an underemployed hipster named Jonathan. Having lost both of her parents, the 20-something lives alone in New York City, living a life of routine. The main character, Candace Chen, is, like Ma, a first-generation Chinese-American immigrant. It won a number of prizes pretty soon after being published. It’s been described as an “apocalyptic office satire.” Published in 2018, it’s the debut novel of Chinese-American novelist Ling Ma, who wrote the book after being laid off, living on severance pay. Severance was recommended to me by the same group of people who recommended I start this blog. I’m thinking I’ll stick to “book review” for fiction and “book post” for non-fiction (if I’m mostly trying to convey information from the latter).

Ling ma severance review