''Fade'' is a

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

young adult In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...

novel written by

Robert Cormier Robert Edmund Cormier (January 17, 1925 – November 2, 2000) was an American writer and journalist, known for his deeply pessimistic novels, many of which were written for young adults. Recurring themes include abuse, mental illness, violence, ...

Plot

In the summer of 1938, the young Paul Moreaux, who lives in a town outside of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

called Monument, discovers he can "fade", becoming

invisible Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be ''invisible'' (literally, "not visible"). The phenomenon is studied by physics and perceptual psychology. Since objects can be seen by light fr ...

. His family has had this ability generation after generation; it is somehow passed down from uncle to nephew. Bewildered and then thrilled with the possibilities of invisibility, Paul experiments with his "gift". He sees things that he should not witness. His power soon overloads him, shows him shocking secrets, pushes him over the edge, and drives him toward some chilling and horrible acts for which there is no forgiveness, no forgetting, and no turning back. Paul discovers how cruel, evil, and disgusting the world can be, and how the ability to fade becomes a nightmare.

Reception

''Fade''s scenes of murder and incest have made it a frequent target of censors; the novel appears on the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000 at number 65.

Film adaptation

In January 2009, Darko Entertainment acquired the rights to the novel. The company will adapt and produce a film adaptation. The novel will be adapted by Adam Prince and the film will be produced by Richard Kelly, Sean McKittrick, Ted Hamm and Ilene Staple. As of August 2023, there has yet to been any additional information regarding the release of the film adaptation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fade (Novel) 1988 American novels 1988 fantasy novels Censored books Novels by Robert Cormier American young adult novels American fantasy novels Fiction about invisibility Fiction set in 1938 Fiction about incest