Rabies (novel)

Rabies (novel) is a 2004 dystopian science fiction novel by American author Jonathan Safran Foer. The novel explores themes of paranoia, disease, information overload, and the breakdown of social structures in a near-future United States gripped by a fictional epidemic resembling rabies. The narrative is fragmented and non-linear, employing a variety of experimental literary techniques, including typographical experiments, shifting perspectives, and lists.

The novel depicts a society where quarantine measures have become increasingly draconian, leading to isolation, distrust, and the erosion of civil liberties. Characters grapple with the psychological and emotional consequences of the epidemic, as well as the ethical dilemmas posed by the government's response. The narrative suggests a critique of contemporary society's anxieties surrounding public health crises and the potential for governmental overreach in times of perceived emergency.

While the title explicitly refers to rabies, the novel delves deeper than a simple depiction of a viral outbreak, functioning as an allegory for broader societal anxieties and the challenges of navigating a complex and uncertain world. The experimental narrative style contributes to the novel's unsettling and thought-provoking atmosphere, reflecting the disorientation and fragmentation experienced by the characters.