Review: Brains by Robin Becker

Title: Brains: A Zombie Memoir
Author: Robin Becker
Genre: Zombie, humor, adult fiction
Publication: 2010
Source: Library

Summary: Jack Barnes is a college professor turned zombie. There's something special about him though... unlike most zombies, he can think and write. He also believes that zombies and humans can live peacefully together. With that thought in mind, he takes off across the country to find Howard Stein, the creator of the zombie virus. Along the way, he meets several other unique zombies, including Ros, who can speak, and Joan, who stitches fellow zombies back together. Together, they trek across across the country, searching for equality... and always their next meal... brains.

My Thoughts: This was certainly a unique twist on the zombie genre which I've come to love in recent months. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this was literary zombie fiction. It wasn't all blood and guts, though it did include a lot of both. It was smart too, and satirical. The story is mostly about Jack, trying to find his place in the world now that the world, and himself, have both changed drastically. He understands that zombies are different, and that they aren't accepted (because they eat HUMANS!), but he strives to change all that and he chronicles the journey in his memoir. The zombies in this story garnered friendships, felt emotions such as friendship and animosity, and schemed plenty too. Not only did they crave brains, they HAD brains too.

All that said, I thought this book was pretty funny at times. Not 'laugh out loud' funny, but silly and fun. It was incredibly original and interesting. Despite all of this, I didn't LOVE the book. I did enjoy it for the most part, but felt that it could be a bit slow moving at times, and wasn't as developed as it could have been. I liked the characters, particularly Ros, the speaking zombie who had some pretty good one-liners, but would have liked to see more character development, maybe a little more back story for some of them.

I'd recommend this one if you're a zombie fan looking for something different.

My Rating: 3/5