The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Carrie Ryan) Chapters 1-8

Yes, here we go with another book from the YA section of the library.  My wife makes fun of me for reading from this genre, and you may too, if you want.  But some of the most compelling fiction-writing going on these days is from a new, untested generation of authors who haven’t yet established a following or a niche in the market, and are seeking a good way to break in.  Even some of the old-guard writers appear to be looking for a little YA boost in their careers, for one reason or another.  (James Patterson comes to mind, although I won’t go into my opinion of why his career needs a boost…)

The story is told in first person, beginning with a little background but quickly getting to present events.  When the topics switch from past tense to present tense, we segue from, ‘Jed and I watch our mother closely now…’ to ‘And then one day Beth’s brother catches up with me while I am dunking our laundry in the stream…’   It seems to me that there was a time when this use of tense would be considered incorrect, or at least gauche.  Correct would then have been, ‘And then one day Beth’s brother CAUGHT up with me while I WAS dunking our laundry in the stream…’  I have noticed this sort of “present action” tense-mangling more and more in the last few years, especially in books written for young people, and I have wondered when it became acceptable, even fashionable to write this way.  Surely there is a term for it – any Literature professors out there?  What’s this called?  And what’s next, using text abbreviations?  “U R my 1 and only luv!”  It’s not that I’m all that put off by this – it’s just that it still comes across as a little naïve and Middle-Schoolish to me.  Oh, well.

What I do like very much about the story is its palpable Darkness.  Like many of the best Dystopian stories, it is permeated with a deep, brooding aura that many of us find appealing.  But instead of mankind having been mostly wiped out by bombs, pestilence or well-meaning politicians, this story shows what might take place after a zombie apocalypse.   I’m pretty sure this is the first book I’ve ever read of that type – and since I never watch TV, I haven’t seen Walking Dead,  though I have seen the Will Smith movie, “I Am Legend.”  At least it’s not another vampire knock-off (though I’m not as jaded on those as most people claim to be!).

Before dealing in too much detail with “The Evil That Is The Unconsecrated [Zombies],” we are treated to an uncomfortably close look at “The Evil That Is Reactionary Religion” – another popular theme in much of today’s literature.  Mary, our heroine, is caught between these two hard places and we share with her some doubts about which one is worse.  The “Sisterhood” actually forces her to choose between joining them and being “fed” to the zombies.  Questionable recruiting methods, to be sure, but as Mary points out, she doesn’t have much of a choice.

Now that we have a clear picture of the bleak environment in which Mary has been trapped all her life, and a revelation for her of just how bleak it is she stumbles upon the game-changer, the pivotal plot event that is The Outsider.  Someone from the outside is being kept a secret from the village by the Sisterhood, and Mary – a little too conveniently – encounters the Outsider, named Gabrielle, by whispers through the wall separating Gabrielle’s room from the room Mary just happens to have been called into by the most powerful member of the Sisterhood.  Maybe it’s not supposed to be obvious yet, or maybe I’m reading too much into it, but this looks just a little too much like a set-up!  Let’s read on!





Next Week:  Chapters 9-17
Week 3:  Chapters 18-25
Week 4:  Chapters 26-36