Review- Warm Bodies

Title: Warm Bodies

Author: Isaac Marion

Publisher: Atria

Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads

Source: Purchased

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, noidentity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and stragely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

My thoughts: 

At first Warm Bodes really confused me. What I thought I knew from the synopsis was wrong and from its classification in the horror genre, I thought it was going to be scary. It's definitely a very gory book! The whole concept is that zombies cannot remember their lives from before they’re infected. Even though they don’t have any memories left, they live together in family like communities. They take care of the elderly and the children and the men go out hunting for fresh meat and bring it back. The story centers around R who has discovered he can see and experience memories of his victims if he eats their brain which is how he falls in love with one of his victims’ girlfriends.

I know a zombie love story sounds really weird but this story was done so well. It could have very easily been really bad. R keeps his victim’s brain, kidnaps his girlfriend and as he experiences more and more of his victim’s life, he get a burning need to become human again. But is love enough to bring back someone who is completely lost to the infection? You’ll have to read the book to find out!
The most fascinating aspect of this book was the zombie community. They are ruled by these zombie like elders called bones because they’re literally so old they are practically only bones. The foundation of this community is not really addressed but it would be fascinating to know more about it. There was also something mysterious going on with the Bone elders that I would love to know more about.

Of course, like most good books, it’s being made into a movie! The cast has already been chosen and it’s set to come out in the summer of next year! I think it’ll make an interesting movie!