Reviews

زومبي by Joyce Carol Oates, أحمد م. أحمد

Only show reviews with written explanations

meganlaurenp_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jonezeemcgee's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

3.0

This is a difficult read. It is a glance into the mind of a serial killer modeled after Jeffrey Dahmer. It discusses everything from his twisted perspective which is steeped in selfish privilege, hate, and racism. This is much like Dahmer who spent an existence enabled to commit his crimes against POC because his parents afforded him opportunities, lawyers, and a disturbing level of the benefit of the doubt. Also because white society tends to not care what happens to these people, which Oates also addresses.

I had to digest this in small bites (no pun intended) because it is very graphic and disturbing. It is also somewhat difficult to read because it is like the mad scribbling of the damned. Punctuation and sentence structure is out the window. It was a fair portrayel, but still somehow lacked depth, therefore I couldn't give it more than a low three stars.

annie_oh's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

spookymom1989's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

lalawoman416's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

So there are no Zombies. The Zombie in question is the one the narrator seeks to create. He's a demented child sexual predator who fools his mom, dad, sister, grandma, and parole officer into thinking he's rehabbing. Meanwhile, he's seeking to perfect creating his perfect Zombie who will abide by his every wish. Like the main character in The Human Centipede II - QP is an amateur seeking to perform medical procedures far beyond his expertise in order to achieve his intended result. He performs lobotomies on young men and boys in his quest to create the perfect Zombie. He is unsuccessful every time but comes closer and closer to his intended result. The book is hard to read if you have an aversion to the horrific - as most do. It's crude, difficult, and horrific. Not for the weak of stomach or mind.