Review: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

  

Warm Bodies
Isaac Marion

A zombie who yearns for a better life ends up falling in love—with a human—in this astonishingly original debut novel.

R is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams. He doesn’t enjoy killing people; he enjoys riding escalators and listening to Frank Sinatra. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Not just another zombie novel, Warm Bodies is funny, scary, and deeply moving.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Let me start off by saying that this was exactly what I was expecting. Exactly. No surprises here. It's well written and kind of witty, but also cheesy with obvious metaphors. Good thing I like cheese, especially with a nice Cabernet Sauvignon.

The book's narrator, R, is a zombie. Sort of. They are not what you would typically imagine zombies to be. Yes, they're dead, and yes, they eat the Living. But they also have limited speech and thought. And they even have sex. Yikes! It's a good thing this section of the book was heavy on the sarcastic humor, because this was pretty much the grossest visual I've ever had from a book. "Their eyes seemed to ask each other, 'Who the hell are you?' as they jiggled and jerked like meat marionettes." I think I just about lost it when they were compared to raw chicken in a packing plant. ICK! And quite frankly, a little off putting in its moments of tenderness. "...since she's already half naked I imagine her without skin. I know from grim experience that there is a beauty to her inner layers, too. Marvels of symmetry and craftsmanship sealed away inside her like the jewelled movements of a timepiece, fine works of art never meant to be seen." Hmmm. Love at first sight?

So R meets Julia, and by meet I mean eats her boyfriend and abducts saves her. How romantic! I have a hard time getting into the romance in the book. Yes, R is different, changing. But, personally, I would have a hard time getting past his smile. Is that a piece of my boyfriend stuck between your teeth? Regardless, I really liked the characters. R is sweet and thoughtful, in his necrotic way. Julia is as forgiving as they come. Even R's best friend, M, is a pretty good guy, once you get past the necrophilia.

Okay, all jokes aside. The writing style was great, and the premise is definitely unique. There are blatant metaphors, lightly veiling a pretty obvious message, but it's a good one. I would have hated to see the important message being overlooked because it was too deeply buried by blood and guts. The whole book rings with bitter irony. 

Do I recommend it? Sure.
Will I watch the movie? Definitely.
Will I read the sequel? Without a doubt.

A copy of this book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.