|
| |
Breathers
by S. G. Browne
In a world where dead people randomly reanimate and aren't even considered citizens, recently turned Andy finds solace in his support group and new zombie love interest Rita.
Vampire romance stories are so rampant know that they’re almost expected. This is where “Breathers” steps in to fill a supernatural romance void: the zombie love story.
Where vampires are portrayed as brooding and attractive, this story relies on the exact opposite. Zombies who just happen to reanimate for an unknown reason, are required to have a legal guardian or are forced to be used for spare body parts or lab experiments. Fortunately for Andy, he resides in his parents' basement after a car wreck that killed both he and his wife, who remained dead, and is barred from contact with his young living daughter that lives with his wife’s parents and doesn’t know he’s a zombie.
But the despair doesn’t stop there. He and other members of the support group Undead Anonymous must walk home from their meetings in groups because they can’t legally drive and are highly susceptible to hate crime, which has no repercussions for the living involved, but many for any undead who try to fight back. It is at these meetings that Andy meets the 21-year-old suicide victim Rita, who he begins to date and gives him some semblance of happiness.
The premise of this novel is extremely depressing. The reader immediately feels for Andy and the plight of other zombies as he describes his hated existence. His sarcastic narration makes the story bearable for non-masochists and seems to be the only way he can bear to continue his almost unbearable existence. His efforts for zombie rights are at first somewhat comedic, like his silent protest while holding a sign in his parent’s front yard, which results in him being covered in various food products. These initially sad attempts earn garner more respect with the audience as pity runs dry, even though injuries to his vocal chords sustained in his wreck limit his speech to grunting akin to his likeness in a George A. Romero film, as he points out.
However fans of such films won’t be disappointed as Browne doesn’t spare gory details that appease even the most hardened zombie buffs.
Hopefully, “Breathers” will just be the first of many in the zombie love genre and those copy-cats will hold up to the standard Browne has set.
Title: Breathers
Author: S. G. Browne
Publisher: Broadway Books
ISBN: 9780767930611
Review written by: Elizabeth Lilly
Reviewer's Rating:9
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
Talk to other readers about this story.
|
|
|
|
|
|
