Scan barcode
A review by grouchomarxist
The Making of Zombie Wars by Aleksandar Hemon
4.0
Hemon is a writer who routinely breaks my heart. In 2011, I discovered his stunning New Yorker piece "The Aquarium" (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/06/13/the-aquarium) and I read everything he had written up to that point in one fevered week. But in his different works, one finds different kinds of heartbreak.
With all of his books, the promise and the fury of language often overcomes the limitations of the prose. This was the case with ZOMBIE WARS as well. This book has a very different voice from Hemon's other work, and the first 20 or 25 pages were a slog for me. In fact, I put it aside for a good 8 months. Yet when I restarted reading it, it grabbed me again. After a while I felt like I understood what he was doing. This is the same heteroglossic Hemon who brought us THE LAZARUS PROJECT - but I think this book marks an advance in the development of his ability to create realistic narrative voices.
ZOMBIE WARS follows a cast of truly unlikable characters. There is seriously not one single likable character in this entire book, including the cat. Once you get over that hurdle, however, the book has a lot of rewards. Even when the plot is weak, the prose is full of beautiful chestnuts and philosophical turns that just stopped me in my tracks (well, I was reading sprawled out on my bed, but you know what I mean). I was surprised by how quickly I got drawn in and found myself curious about the plot. This is what Hemon does best, and this is why I'd pay to read even his grocery lists. Definitely recommended.
With all of his books, the promise and the fury of language often overcomes the limitations of the prose. This was the case with ZOMBIE WARS as well. This book has a very different voice from Hemon's other work, and the first 20 or 25 pages were a slog for me. In fact, I put it aside for a good 8 months. Yet when I restarted reading it, it grabbed me again. After a while I felt like I understood what he was doing. This is the same heteroglossic Hemon who brought us THE LAZARUS PROJECT - but I think this book marks an advance in the development of his ability to create realistic narrative voices.
ZOMBIE WARS follows a cast of truly unlikable characters. There is seriously not one single likable character in this entire book, including the cat. Once you get over that hurdle, however, the book has a lot of rewards. Even when the plot is weak, the prose is full of beautiful chestnuts and philosophical turns that just stopped me in my tracks (well, I was reading sprawled out on my bed, but you know what I mean). I was surprised by how quickly I got drawn in and found myself curious about the plot. This is what Hemon does best, and this is why I'd pay to read even his grocery lists. Definitely recommended.