3 out of 4 stars
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Book Review – Undead Redhead by Jen Frankel
Meet Sharon Backovic. Sharon is the unlikely heroine of this novel, with her pale, translucent skin and her mane of orange hair. She admits to being afraid of the dark and of things that go ‘bump’ in the night. Gentle and kind, she even became a vegan so as not to cause harm to any animals. Sharon is quite simply, a lovely girl.
There is only one small problem: Sharon is dead. Or, more accurately, ‘undead'. In other words, a zombie.
Undead Redhead captured my interest from the moment I saw the title. It is a thought-provoking story which begins with a young woman who seems to have lost her way in life. Sharon lives with her boyfriend, Dave, in a stagnant and unfulfilling relationship. Most of her time is spent trying to please everyone around her, with little success. She has no real friends; her boyfriend is cheating on her and even her family are disinterested. After a freak accident at a friend’s wedding, Sharon wakes up dead. In a coffin. About to be buried. Assuming there has been a terrible mistake, she manages to free herself and heads home, only to find her apartment up for rent and her belongings thrown in the dumpster. Things couldn’t get much worse. Then the realization sets in: there has been no mistake. Sharon has joined the ranks of the ‘undead'. Inexplicably cold all the time, she even has maggots nibbling her flesh. What’s more, her vegan eating habits are preventing her from enjoying the customary fare of zombies everywhere: human brains.
The book takes the reader on an amusing and entertaining journey into the world as seen from a vegan zombie’s point of view. With her usual good nature and optimism, Sharon takes all these problems in her stride. In her ‘undead’ state, she manages to amass an impressive group of new friends – from Malcolm and his ever-cheerful sister to the philosophical ‘cracklady’ living on the streets. There is Waglet, the Haitian teenager, whose deep crush on Sharon has life-changing consequences. Even Morgoni, a zombie hunter, starts off as Sharon’s nemesis but eventually finds a place amongst her friends. Undead Redhead tells the tale of how Sharon Backovic grows to accept her new reality, discovers real friendship, and finally finds the courage to truly be herself.
My initial concern was that the author’s handling of the zombie aspect might be a little corny, but I need not have worried. Each character has such depth and dimension, and this makes them all extremely interesting. So much so, in fact, that these personalities stayed with me long after the last page was turned. This is especially true of Sharon who is portrayed as kind, sensitive and completely different to how zombies are usually perceived. Morgoni is certainly an intriguing character, with her unpredictable outbursts and strange obsessions. Even Sharon II, the guinea pig, is given its own little personality. The author has clearly invested much thought and care into each contributor in Sharon’s new life, and I found this aspect of the book most gratifying.
From the very first line, the story flowed beautifully, and I was thoroughly entertained throughout. The writing is skillful, particularly when describing Sharon’s confusion upon regaining consciousness. Phrases like ‘sticky darkness’ and her thoughts being ‘thick and viscous’ are used to evoke the confusion she must have felt, coming slowly back to life. In another part, Sharon observes the real world was ‘just too weird – even without the added complications of zombie-hood.’ This comment struck a chord in me and made me reflect on the questionable way that society sometimes treats those who deviate from the norm.
A couple of incidents seemed out of place, such as Dave’s new-found attraction to Sharon, knowing she had recently become ‘undead'. On another occasion, Sharon tries to find true love on a speed-dating website which seems a little out of character for her. Although the editing was fair, I did notice a few errors in punctuation and spelling but I would not want to make an issue of these. The lessons we are taught by Sharon’s resolute acceptance of her condition and the positive way she influences others far outweigh any technical flaws in the story.
I believe Undead Redhead would appeal to both older teenagers and adults alike, particularly readers who enjoy science fiction and horror stories. It’s a great book for people who don’t take life – or themselves – too seriously. Above all, many parts of this story inspired a chuckle in me, so I’m sure fans of humorous fiction would love it.
One of my favorite quotes is as follows:
‘After every tragic death in this compassionate, modern world, a certain traditional monument is bound to be erected with the intention of providing the loved ones of the departed a way to celebrate a life cut short too soon, and to begin to heal. That, of course, is the obligatory Facebook Memorial Page.’
I agonized over the rating of this book. In view of the grammatical errors, I feel I must rate it 3 out of 4 stars but this really doesn't do justice to a story that I enjoyed so immensely. I hope that another round of editing will see it achieve the perfect score that it deserves. It was my great joy to read such an entertaining and unusual piece of work, and I would be very eager to read more books by this author.
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Undead Redhead
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