Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Warm Bodies

by Isaac Marion

 

R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse. Just dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a burst of vibrant color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that R lives in. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world...
Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead and the blurry line in between.

First of all, I had no idea zombies could be so poetic.  Who knew that under all the moaning and shambling there could be some pretty deep thoughts?


R is a pretty nice guy, once you get to know him and if he doesn't eat you first.  Even though he has the urge to munch on brains every once in a while, he cares about his friends and often regrets his desire to hurt eat others.

He lives a pretty bleak existence, with only his record player and the short hours when the airport escalator actually works and he can ride it up and down.  Up and down. 
He has his friend M and the two exchange the odd grunt or two and occasionally they share any leftover brains they may have saved. 
The brains act like a drug for zombies, where they can for a few moments relive the memories of the dead. Even so, life is still bleak and going nowhere.
When R meets Julie, it's like something miraculous happens...his world is no longer gray and lifeless.    

I really liked Julie, even though I thought it was a little odd at first that she got over his being a zombie rather quickly.  She is sweet but tough enough to take care of herself when she needs to.  She loves life but still carries this world-weary attitude at times. 

The story is written mostly from R's POV and I love the insights into his psyche.  He is definitely a deep-thinker and a dreamer.  Just my kind of guy.  Er...zombie.
There was a lot of humor, some gore, some romance, and a lot of philosophical thoughts coming from the shambling dead.
I loved it.  It was fun and made me laugh hysterically several times until I was afraid my family would hear and think I was nuts.