The Girl with All the Gifts

I don’t like zombies – they freak me out. The zombies in The Girl with All the Gifts are no different, but they also have a compelling loneliness. I think zombies are commonly used in pop culture to explore questions of humanity and M.R. Carey does so through Melanie, a quasi-zombie, but he also does it through the cast of human characters. I think that is what truly makes The Girl with All the Gifts stand out beyond other zombie media. It goes beyond the tired tropes of: humans turning on each other even in the face of a greater evil, zombies were once human too, or maybe humans are the real monsters. I don’t think M.R. Carey offers any answers to the questions of humanity he’s addressing, but that allows us to wrestle with our notions of humanity along with the central characters.

The main cast of characters is a delight to follow. Some characters rise to the occasion and adapt/grow (they were the ones I so desperately rooted for – Sergeant Parks my beloved). But there are a select few characters who remain stubbornly in their ways, refusing to undergo “character development.” But that is not a bad thing and I think that is the genius of Carey’s writing. Instead of becoming stale, uninteresting characters, they serve as foils to the ones who do change, a representation of those unwavering in their choices. It is a clever way to explore the philosophical questions Carey is grappling with.

I will say that the whole novel is beautifully grim. The stakes in this story feel real, the consequences crushing, and the little wins euphoric. It makes for a page-turner especially since this take on zombies is rather unique – some top-notch worldbuilding. Carey somehow makes you yearn and feel wistful for a world that still exists in our reality. The world is dying but beautiful, lovely but destructive. I quite liked the pacing. There were stressful moments punctuated with action, but also down moments to catch your breath.

All in all, I quite enjoyed this book and it even pulled a few tears from me. As a scientist, I found the science a little questionable and the depiction of scientists a bit depressing but what’s new in zombie media?