However, this story is touched with a tinge of sadness that made my heart ache. R is presented in a self-deprecating, humorous way, but he’s easy to connect to. I never thought I’d read a zombie book and use words like “heartbreaking” and “tender.” But those are just two of the words that aptly describes this story. The need for flesh isn’t as simple as a driving, animalistic hunger for it, but part of a craving for something lost, something they can no longer remember. It reimagines zombies as more than just mindless creatures. This book is unique because it tells the story from the point of view of a zombie instead of a human trying to survive in this world. They also have a rough set of laws in place that they follow enforced by a group called the Boneys. There’s also “school” where mostly children are taught to hunt by using live human prey. “R” mentions it’s like watching a pathetic imitation of bodies bumping against each other. They attempt to do things like have sex, but their bodies aren’t able to perform the act. They use escalators, have church, even get “married” and take care of children (young zombies given to newly married zombies). “R” lives at an airport with a hive of zombies. The zombies spend much of their time performing a poor emulation of human behavior. They struggle with words to adequately express themselves and are often distracted away from their thoughts when speaking aloud, but “R” shows a crude complexity in his thinking, which is hinted at possibly being abnormal for a zombie. Communication is limited and very simple between zombies. Zombies can’t remember their life before dying, but they take on the first letter of names that the might’ve had, names that are just beyond the reach of their thoughts.

He’s described as being tall and dressed in business casual.

We follow the adventures of “R,” a zombie who isn’t decayed nearly as bad as some of the other zombies. I loved it from the beginning, but I could tell it might make a little more emotional than I wanted at the time, so I set it aside for a bit.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion