The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

by Carrie Ryan

Delacorte Press, 2009






I read few post-apocalyptic novels because they all:
1. are so bleak
2. involve a society consisting of two groups of people, those damaged by the apocalypse, and those who mysteriously escaped
3. depict the normal society as secretive, controlling and unconcerned with individual needs
4. portray the protagonist as a rebel against the controlling society.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth fits all these criteria, and yet the beautiful writing and compelling characters drew me into its bizarre world. I loved the way the protagonist got what she wanted before the end of the book, but didn’t appreciate it. Such a human reaction!

You can see the trailer here, and lots of other blogs must have described the plot, so I’ll provide a one-sentence summary. Zombies meet A Canticle for Leibowitz.