Author Visit with Raymond Wong
7 years ago
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
R misses many things, but the thing his misses the most is his own name. After being transformed into a zombie, the hustle and bustle of his former life has changed, significantly, and the only thing he looks forward to is standing still and looking at the desolate world. R lives in an abandoned hanger of an airport with his good friend M. Just like R, M is still in the early stages of decay and the have the ability to moan and groan and to form a zombie language. Inside of his head, R is alive and filled with ideas and coherent speech, but his body won't allow him to say the things he want to say. Although being a zombie is pretty easy, the days just get longer and longer. Another downside to being a zombie, other than not being able to talk, read, or remember names, is eating. R doesn't like hearing the cries and the pain that comes from his meal, but the only thing he takes pleasure in is eating the brains of his prey; by eating the brains, he can absorb the memories of that person. Although R has established his ranks in the zombie community (he has a wife and two kids), something is still missing. On a routine hunting, something inside R makes him ravenous and when he eats the brain of a young man named Perry, R has devoured everything that makes Perry who he is. After re-living Perry's memories, the ones that stick out the most are of Julie. Julie was Perry's everything and now that he is a part of R, R chooses to protect her. After saving her from his horde of hungry zombies, Julie actually follows R and discovers that zombies are not what them seem; at least this one tries to talk to her, has a great collection of Frank Sinatra LP's, and is actively protecting to her. The question that nags at her is "why?" Why is R protecting a girl he doesn't know, but is attracted to because of the brain he consumed? Lastly, something about him is changing and he doesn't know why.
Critical Evaluation:
The writing in this book is just brilliant! I will confess
that I did see the movie, before reading the book, and I am pretty impressed
with how true the film is to the book. However, I am not here to review the
movie, I am here to talk about the book. Warm Bodies is more than a story about
a boy who meets a girl. This story is about self-discovery and, in R's case,
recovering everything he has lost. Just like John Gardner's Grendel, readers
will get a unique insight into the mind of the undead and identify with it in so
many ways. Although zombies are nothing more than an urban legend, the question
is, if they did exist, would they be like R? What I find entertaining about
this story is that there is a very thin line between the living in the dead;
although R is dead, he takes it upon himself to stop and observe the life
around him. For most living people, we are too busy to even notice the
landscape that surrounds us or if your co-worker is going through a hard time.
Even now, I feel like a zombie because I am sitting at any empty desk waiting
for the hours to go by so I can go home. At some point in time, R was a living
person, like we are, but, now that he is dead, he has a huge appreciation for
everything around him including the ability to speak. R wants to communicate so
bad, but his body won't let him. I loved it when he said that being a zombie
was easy, but, being human, is never easy. As for Julie, who is the complete
opposite of R (besides a pulse), has no idea what to think or understand why a
zombie would protect her. The more she gets to know R, the more she realizes
that he is not just a zombie, but a friend and confidant. When R risks his
undead existence to love Julie, not only have readers cheering, but melt the
hearts of cynical readers.
Information about the Author:
According to his website:
Isaac Marion was born near Seattle in 1981 and has lived in and around that city ever since. He began writing in high school and self-published three novels before finally breaking through with Warm Bodies. He currently divides his time between writing, playing obscure instruments in obscure bands, and exploring the country in a 1977 GMC motorhome named Baleen.
Genre:
Fiction, Romance, Horror
Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 10 & up
Books Similar to Warm Bodies:
- Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
- World War Z by Max Brooks
From Amazon.com:
“Elegantly written, touching, and fun.”
(Audrey Niffenegger, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Time Traveler's Wife)
“Dark and funny.”
(Wired)
“Warm Bodies
is a terrific zombook. Whether you're warm-bodied or cold-bodied,
snuggle up to it with the lights low and enjoy a dead-lightful
combination of horror and romance.”
(Examiner.com)
“The writing is lively, the characters intriguing, and the creative reinvention of popular themes is thought-provoking.”
(Commonsensemedia.org)
“Compulsively readable.”
(Thereadinggate.com)
“A masterfully crafted retelling of Romeo & Juliet.”
(Goodereads.com)
“Remarkable.
From the very first page you are hooked on protagonist R’s story. You
actually care about R. Yes, you find yourself really caring about a
zombie.”
(Teenlitrocks.com)
“Fun and entertaining.”
(Gliterarygirl.com)
“Marion’s
novel is even better [than the movie], digging deep into sardonic
observations about humanity, comic takes on zombie behavior and stirring
reflections on what it really means to be alive or dead.”
(Seattle Times)
“Artful.”
(The Onion A.V. Club)
“Highly original.”
(Seattletimes.com)