The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Clearly, the fact that I finished Carrie Ryan's THE FOREST OF HANDS IN TEETH in a few short hours means something! I haven't done that since THE HUNGER GAMES. Seriously, this book is incredible!

I knew going in that it was a zombie book. What I didn't know was that Ryan's beautiful, layered tale would be truly allegorical. This isn't just a story of a young girl trying to get through each day in a village completely surrounded by the living dead; it's a story of a girl living in an oppressive society and longing for something more, something beyond her reach. It's a story of hope in the face of absolute despair. It's a story about the grass always being greener on the other side of the fence. But it's also a story about priorities: How far will Mary go to get what she's always dreamed of?

Mary is such an interesting main character. I ached for her in the first few chapters, when everything seems to go wrong for her. But she has such internal strength; I cheered for her as she tried to sort through the mess that was her life. As the book continued, I realized that what Mary wanted was not so simple. By the end, I wondered if what Mary wanted was worth it. It would be interesting to see this explored in a sequel. I'm not sure if Ryan is working on a second... I'll have to go check her blog, which is linked on the right.

In a way, the book is about striving for your dreams and never letting anything get in your way. It's about how you deal with your problems. This is a book that will suck you in and then spit you out several hours later, wondering what hit you.