Melanie is a 10yr old girl with a unique and terrifying
gift; one that challenges the status quo and threatens to change her way of
life – and not for the better. In a dangerous post apocalyptic new world, this
seemingly innocent and kind hearted young girl finds herself one of the most
significant and important people on Earth. Within her lies the hope and bloody
end to mankind in its present day incarnation.
Author M.R. Carey really grabs the reader with such a young
and vulnerable protagonist who is thrust
into a violent world where normalcy consists of scavenging for live food – be it
human or animal whilst trying to outwit the ‘hungires’ and ‘junkers’ alike. Aided
by a group of uninfected humans in Dr Caldwell, Sergeant Parks, and Helen
Justineau she confronts horror upon horror – and not all necessarily amongst
the decay of abandoned cities and burnt landscapes. This survival horror has
the survivors on equal billing as those who hunt them.
Chapters written from multiple points of view provide a
depth to the perspective; seeing the struggle to survive through the eyes of
soldiers, educational professionals, scientists, and a young girl shine a
unique light on the predicament this diverse cast of characters so find themselves.
This is horror from multiple angles, each as heart pounding as the last.
I greedily consumed THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS, wanting to
taste that bitter end for we all know full well these post apocalyptic stories
don’t end in sunshine and rainbows – and this is no different. That said, M.R.
Carey’s take on the ever growing extension-level-event genre and it’s shock and
awe ramifications doesn’t stick to the script nor conform to norm – it’s
heartfelt, emotionally evocative and visually vivid. One of the ‘must read’
books of 2014.
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