Genre: Horror

I cannot remember the last time I read a book so completely messed up. I can’t remember the last time I read a book that had me gripping the duvet right over my mouth with a deep sense of disgust and unease because of what I was reading and I mean all this in the absolutely best possible way.

Snyder has taken the experiences of the pandemic and twisted them into an apocalyptic cosmic nightmare. We start with Erin, coming home from work and taking care to remove her mask and wash before joining her boyfriend. But Erin soon falls sick, experiencing strange changes to her body – including the need to eat cow brains. Scientists are seemingly baffled by the pandemic, and those badly afflicted are sent to a centre to recover before being introduced back into society. Gradually, however, the horrors of what they’re experiencing grow, as people become more aggressive and violent. Erin’s transformation is ongoing, as is another main character’s, Savannah’s, and both women find themselves ushering in the new world.

Savannah seeks out someone very special, taking on a unique role in the apocalypse, while Mareva tries to understand what, exactly, is happening to her, as the violence around her escalates. Each of these three women are distinctive in their experiences and roles, but the bulk of the virus itself is witnessed through Erin, as she initially goes through recovery at a facility then tries to rebuild her life in a dying world. It’s a bleak vision, with Erin under strict controls and measures and her life under threat if she puts a slight toe out of line.

One memorable moment is upon her release, when it’s suggested to her she takes permanent measures to prevent getting pregnant – firstly, when she notes that she will not be living with her long-term partner on her release, it’s pointed out to her that it doesn’t matter, as there’s always the possibility someone will break into her home. Erin asks if men are being asked to take the same measures, and the response is, essentially, why would we do that? It’s a poignant moment, underscored by the fact the majority of the novel is spent with women trying to navigate a violent, dangerous world, growing more so every day.

Snyder uses really grotesque moments to underscore the horrors of this world, but there’s moments of humour and times when these women are allowed to just…be women, whether that means sharing sexy, tender moments with someone, or getting angry, or just trying to live.

One of the things that stood out for me is as the world is on the verge of collapsing, people are just going about their daily business. They’re expected to keep working, whatever form their work takes. Even while snipers stand on rooftops ready to take out people acting odd, or when they’re confined to their homes and allowed out only to go to work or get basic necessities – despite the apocalyptic, messed up nature of what’s happening, Snyder has managed to mirror and capture the worst, horrifying moments of the pandemic and strip it away to the elements we should have paid more attention to.

I don’t often have nightmares, but the night I finished this book I dreamt the apocalypse came with monsters, and truly, there’s nothing that drills down more how effective a horror novel has been than that.

Amazon UK
Bookshop UK

Review by Elle Turpitt

Twitter & Instagram: @elleturpitt

www.elleturpitt.com

I received this ebook from Titan Books via NetGalley for review consideration