The Strange Library as a Fever Dream - Emma M

Fever dreams are characterized by bizarre, often unpleasant dreams that sleeping people experience during a fever. My experience of ‘fever dreams’ usually entails vivid imagery, strange themes  and confusing actions. Typically, my fears or their representations are present. The plot of them is typically hard to remember or decipher, but the emotional impact (usually fear or discomfort) certainly remains in the morning. Reading The Strange Library brought me a similar experience. I noticed that it’s mostly dialogue – we don’t hear Boku’s thoughts very often. Sure, he expresses worry and concern to the old man and the sheep man, but we don’t really hear his internal panic that inevitably would be going on as one is escorted further and further into strange corridors. This lack of expression reminds me of my own fever dreams; things just happen to you and you’re imbued with fear but you don’t feel your internal dialogue. Moreover, there were clear aspects of Boku’s fear. We hear about the dog, who Boku expresses his fear of, and we later see the dog with the old man. He expresses to the old man how important it is that he returns home to his mother, which implies to the reader that he and his mom are very close. Yet, when we actually meet his mom, their relationship is a lot more cold than we expect. Perhaps some underlying issues or insecurity about his relationship with his mom causes the worry in the library. Lastly, there are some elements of randomness (e.g., reading a book on tax collection in the ottoman empire, donuts, etc.) which are part of what makes fever dreams so odd - there are just things that are “off” but not unrealistic per se.