“How many replied?” “About twenty.” “Will you write to all of them?” “This is the woman of my life,” Miklós replied, pointing to the pocket where he had kept the letter.” “How do you know?” “I know.” July 1945. Miklós, a Hungarian survivor of Belsen, ends up, emaciated and toothless, in a refugee camp in Sweden. The doctor gives him a few months to live. However, Miklós has other plans.

He finds a list of 117 young women from Hungary who are also in refugee camps in Sweden. With his beautiful handwriting, he writes a letter to each one. He writes obsessively, sitting in the shade of a tree in the hospital garden. He is sure that one of them will become his wife. In a camp hundreds of kilometers away, Lili reads his letter and decides to respond.

By exchanging letters, the couple falls in love. In December 1945, they find a way to meet. They have only three days. And they fall in love all over again. Now they must find a way to get married...

“Fever at Dawn” is the story of an unforgettable love, based on true events.

“A rare novel, based on a true story. I loved it.” Laura Barnett, author of The Versions Of Us

“Tenderly sarcastic, full of life and rarely euphoric.” Australian

“Dramatic, human, and moving.” Jennifer Clement, author of Prayers For The Stolen

“A superb novel, flawless, with humor that defies the horrific tragedy.” Joan London, author of Gilgamesh, The Good Parents, and The Golden Age

“Gárdos illuminates this astonishing power of human will, which not only keeps us alive but also drives us to fight for a life worth living.” Julie Orringer, author of The Invisible Bridge