Shiver

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussions of violence and trauma and depictions of parental neglect and abuse.

The paranormal elements of Maggie Stiefvater’s world serve as analogs for real-life physical, emotional and existential obstacles. For example, Sam’s rapid decline into a permanently lycanthropic state, for instance, serves as an analog for prolonged disease or grief. The author grounds the characters’ experiences of paranormal transformation by connecting them to real-world difficulties such as abusive parents, gun violence, and negligence, allowing her to explore the role of love and friendship in transcending challenges. She anchors Grace and Sam’s relationship in the strength and resilience it gives them to navigate an impossible situation.

The novel asserts that the power of Sam’s love for Grace allows him to briefly overcome the rules that govern his existence. Werewolves in the novel transform with the seasons, reverting to their human form briefly in the summer months. Often, they are unable to change to a human state during the winters. However, thrice in the novel, Sam changes into a human in winter to protect or help Grace. In the first instance Sam transforms, the temperature is -9° Celsius and it has been snowing.