Fade

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
The more recent cover art.


Fade is a novel written by Franco-American horror novelist,Robert Cormier . It tells the story of Paul Moreaux, a teenager in 1938 who has recently discovered he has the power to turn invisible at will, a power he calls "The Fade". Despite the cautions of his uncle Adélard, also a Fader, Paul puts his power to use eavesdropping. This power ends up bringing more trouble than he bargained for, as he witnesses horrible truth after horrible truth.

Not to be confused with the other often-banned novel named Fade, by Lisa McMann.

Tropes used in Fade include:
  • Banned in China: Because it deals with themes of violence and incest, it was featured on the American Library Association's list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books.
  • Black Sheep: Adélard is considered the black sheep by his siblings.
  • Didn't See That Coming: Paul witnesses several shocking things while using the Fade for banal reasons.
  • Dead Little Brother Adélard's current way of life as a wanderer started immediately after his brother Vincent's death.
  • Cool Uncle: Paul sees Adélard this way
  • Incest Is Relative: Presented as a recurring theme in various incarnations, notably with Paul's crush on his Aunt Rosanna.
  • Massive-Numbered Siblings: As was the norm for most French Canadian families at the time, Paul has many siblings.
  • Power Degeneration: The Fade eats away at the Fader's life force.
  • Sexual Extortion: Paul is horrified to discover this has been going on thanks to the Fade.
  • Superpowerful Genetics: The Fade is passed down from Uncle to nephew, with Paul inheriting it from Adélard.
  • Twincest: Paul witnesses this while using the Fade to watch a girl undress
  • With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: For Ozzie, Paul's nephew who also inherited the Fade.