The Undead Truth of Us

August 8, 2022
Lewis sensitively balances a sometimes-scary world populated by the undead with both melancholy and hope in this surreal debut. No one but 16-year-old Black Zharie Young seemed to notice that her mother turned into a zombie upon her death. But ever since then, Zharie sees zombies everywhere—with “eyes sunken and hollow; fresh skin dangling from their cheekbones, exposing their skeletal smiles.” Now she lives with her emotionally absent aunt and keeps her distance from others, until she meets charming new neighbor Bo, a Black and Vietnamese teen whose appearance randomly switches between half-human and half-zombie. She befriends him, hoping to find answers about why she’s the only one privy to the apparent zombie epidemic, but the more she discovers about her suddenly supernatural world, the less she understands. Zharie and Bo’s developing relationship is bizarre and enthralling: sometimes he’s a handsome boy with freckles and curly hair; other times he’s a decaying corpse with “open wounds and scars. Unblinking eyes. A feral, broken grin.” An equally compassionately drawn supporting cast adds depth to this haunting tale about finding love and happiness in the aftermath of tragedy. Ages 12–up. Agent: Katelyn Detweiler, Jill Grinberg Literary Management.

July 1, 2022
Grieving a dead parent is made even more unbearable by a zombie outbreak only Zharie seems to notice. Zharie and her mother were the only Black women on the West Coast Swing dance floor, but after her mother's death, Zharie is alone in other ways, questioning everything about her mom's death, especially why no one else noticed she morphed into a zombie as she died. Now Zharie sees zombies everywhere, unsure if everyone else is oblivious, if it's all a side effect of playing the Cranberries on repeat, or if it's psychosis brought about by obvious trauma. But when Bo, a charming Black and Vietnamese boy, moves in above the apartment she's sharing with her emotionally distant aunt, Zharie notices that half of him seems to be a decaying corpse--but only sometimes. The other half is the cute boy she wants to get to know better, if only because he's an anomaly in this one-sided zombie apocalypse. Zharie narrates this mindfully haunting story with a sharp attention to sensory details, emphasizing the visceral shifts from living to undead and back; for Zharie, being close to Bo, with his soft lips and disarming smile, can quickly become proximity to death, gore, and a pungent stench. Still, she perseveres, learning that zombies are less a threat and more a symbol of heartbreak, but unfortunately there's more to come as she uncovers the circumstances surrounding her mother's final days. A terrifyingly grounded accounting of the monsters that haunt us. (Horror. 13-18)

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October 1, 2022

Gr 9 Up-Zharie is completely unmoored after the sudden death of her single-parent mother. Gone are the boisterous dance sessions at her mother's studio and a home filled with love and laughter, replaced by a lonely existence at her aunt's bare apartment. Z (as her friends call her) is full of questions. The overwhelming one is why she sees zombies everywhere. Withdrawn from life, she perks up when new neighbor Bo breaks through to her with his honesty, even though he sometimes appears as a zombie as well. Bo's strong friend group accepts her, and Z joins them on a camping trip that seems to end the friendship. But when she stumbles onto a secret from her mother's past, she turns to Bo, and the two set off on an improbable trip from Kansas City to California to confront her biological father and try to get answers she desperately needs. Lyrical, vivid writing evokes the depths of Z's emotions. Conversely, the many highly detailed descriptions of the zombies are a distraction (e.g., "her tattered skin stretched until the tissue spilled out"). Lewis's portrayal of characters who are predominantly people of color is exceptional in the authentic dialogue and internal monologues that reference race. She also does an outstanding job portraying how teenagers see themselves and one another, how they try out different personalities and approaches to life. Z must take an otherworldly journey to navigate through unfathomable grief and loneliness, which the author makes bearable with writing that weaves a tapestry of colors and senses to capture her emotions. VERDICT For teens who can handle dark themes of loss, this is an author whose voice needs to be heard.-Lee De Groft

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 23, 2022
Grades 9-12 Lewis' debut heartbreakingly examines a young girl's process of learning to move on. Six months ago, Zharie unexpectedly loses her mother, and ever since then, she has been seeing zombies. She knows that the zombies aren't there, especially since she is the only one who can see them, but she doesn't know how to stop the hallucinations. A chance encounter with a neighbor boy leads Zharie to take the beginning steps of acknowledging her loss and her new reality. Lewis uses a gentle hand to craft Zharie's story and the journey of her grief. In many ways, this is reminiscent of the quintessential summer coming-of-age book; Zharie uses her summer break to uncover unanswered questions, reassess friendships, and explore a budding romance. While the zombies add a fantastical flavor, Lewis' loving study of the many faces grief can wear, which gives Zharie plenty of space to sort out her emotions and priorities in life, makes this book better suited for readers who prefer slower-paced stories. Moving and, ultimately, hopeful.

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