The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey was the perfect way to kick off my month of reading scary books. This sci-fi horror novel was creative, emotional and, of course, suspenseful from start to finish.  I couldn't put it down.

Part of the fun of reading this one is unraveling what exactly is going on. It begins with a little girl named Melanie waiting patiently in her room for school to start. However, Melanie's room is more like a jail cell, and she has to be restrained into a wheelchair by one soldier while another holds a gun on her and reminds her not to move before she can be wheeled into her school room with her similarly-restrained classmates. She is sprayed with a chemical solution instead of bathing and is given a bowl of worms to eat once a week for nourishment. Obviously, the reader gets the sense that something post-apocalyptic is happening, but we aren't given all the details right away.  The narration switches perspectives between Melanie, one of her teachers, the Sargent of the base they are on, a young solider, and a doctor performing medical research. As you begin to put all the pieces together and start to make sense of the plot, what emerges is a very creepy survival story set in a collapsed world.

Beyond the suspenseful aspects of the plot, this novel was satisfyingly deep. Questions about ethics and morality in times of catastrophe are raised, and I found myself frequently pausing while reading to wonder what I would believe to be right if this situation were real. I very much enjoyed the ending of the story, which didn't really answer any of these questions, but instead, gives you even more to think about.

I was similarly happy with the characters, of which many were female and totally strong in different ways. There wasn't a damsel in distress here- an incredibly feat for a horror story when you think about it.  Instead, we have Miss Justineau, a teacher with both physical and moral strength, Dr. Caldwell, a scientist with intellectual and logical strength, and Melanie herself, a child with all of those traits combined. While the story was quite fast-paced, I still thought that each character was well-written and suitably interesting.

To say too much in my reflection would be to spoil the reading experience for someone just picking it up, so I'm going to end my thoughts here. I definitely recommend this one to people who like both horror and those who enjoy stories that draw you in emotionally. M.R. Carey wrote the screenplay version of this novel right around the same time as he was writing the book, and the movie is set to come out in the U.K. at the end of this month.  I'm hoping for a U.S. release to follow quickly, because this story would make for an amazing film.   

The Girl with All the Gifts was a really cool read.  My month of scary books is starting out strong - I hope this trend continues!