THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH

The "unconsecrated" (flesh-eating zombies) are kept out of the Village by a stout fence and the vigilance of the Sisterhood. With both of her parents having become unconsecrated, Mary is taken in by the Sisterhood. But she holds heretical beliefs concerning the world beyond the fence. As her beliefs come true, her already-dangerous world turns even more perilous. Vane Millon narrates slowly, with stilted phrasing and unusual stresses. The text itself lacks contractions, a stylistic choice that adds to the awkwardness. The narrator’s slow pace seems like an odd fit for a story in which zombies are chasing the characters, but the pace sets an eerie tone for the book as a whole. Without a doubt, listeners will find this horror story unsettling. G.A.D. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2009]