Last Updated on August 6, 2024
Easily one of my favorite books from 2023, The Girl with All the Gifts is (somehow) a wholesome horror story that follows a misunderstood child with the potential to do great things for those that need her most.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a real sucker for the “found family” trope, so this checked off all my boxes.
Table of Contents
Back of the Book
“Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She jokes that she won’t bite, but they don’t laugh.”
Goodreads page
Talk about a great hook, are you kidding me? Immediate emotional investment.
My Thoughts
This book was phenomenally written. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.
Generally speaking, it feels like the story Matilda, but set during the zombie apocalypse.
Getting a bit more academic, I’d describe this book as a modern retelling of the first few encounters between Homo erectus and Homo sapien. The struggle to stay relevant (and not become extinct) in a landscape that is both familiar but changing too quickly to thrive in is the Big Tension of any zombie story. I eat it up every time.
The Girl With All the Gifts somehow delves much deeper into that.
This was the first contemporary horror book I’ve read. No offense to Shirley Jackson, but my experience with her late 1950s horror books seemed more focused on conceptual and psychological horror than anything really thrilling.
I knew The Girl With All the Gifts would be a Zombie apocalypse book based on the blurb: I was totally prepared for death, action, and gore. I was unprepared for how philosophical, introspective, and beautifully written it would be.
“Melanie said she didn’t think it was right to blame Pandora for what happened, because it was a trap that Zeus had set for mortals and he made her be the way she was on purpose, just so the trap would get sprung.“
the girl with all the gifts, Chapter 1
The book jumps from several character’s perspective, including the protagonist, a little girl (around the age of 8-10 years old) named Melanie.
The juxtaposition between the gritty, bleak, and dangerous landscape with the innocence of a child’s perspective makes this book truly unique!
“Melanie thinks: when your dreams come true, your true has moved. You’ve already stopped being the person who had the dreams, so it feels more like a weird echo of something that already happened to you a long time ago.”
the girl with all the gifts, chapter 49
Carey uses the Zombie apocalypse as the setting for answering big questions like what it means to be human, the limits of a person’s moral compass and capacity to love, as well as the ethics of science…
All while creating an action-packed plot and well-rounded characters that pull at your heartstrings!!
“When the last torch clicks off, the darkness settles on them like a weight. Justineau lies awake, staring at it. It’s like God never bothered.“
the girl with all the gifts, chapter 48
I mean, c’mon! Easily, the best book I’ve read all year.
10 out of 5 stars.
Who Its For
If you watched The Walking Dead or The Last of Us and loved it, you need to read this book.
If you love sci-fi and want to get into the thriller or horror genre, this book is perfect for you! Put it at the top of your TBR list, ASAP.
Also, do you want to “buddy read” a book with your nerdy friend? Or maybe you’re in the mood for deep discussion during your next book club meeting? I think The Girl With All the Gifts could be a great option for you! (Pay close attention to the trigger warnings at the top of this post, though.)
If you want to see the Zombie apocalypse setting done differently, what are you waiting for!
Did you read this book (or watch the movie)? Let me know in the comments down below!
Happy Reading!
