by Kaylie Seed
Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay parallels what is happening in the world today in regards to reactions of COVID-19 that is devastating the world. A genius writer in the horror genre, Tremblay has created a story about a fast spreading rabies-like virus that causes humans to become incredibly violent and no longer able to function as themselves. Tremblay places the reader in Massachusetts at the home of Natalie (Nats) who is a very pregnant woman. Natalie and her husband Paul are attacked and bitten by a rabid man in their home and when the attack is over, Nats seeks out the help of her long-time friend Ramola (Rams) who is a paediatric doctor. The two set out to find help for Natalie before it’s too late.
The story weaves through both Nats and Rams perspectives as they try to navigate through a very violent and unprecedented time. Nats is a loud, tell-it-how-it-is kind of person. She swears like a trucker and is incredibly sarcastic. During Nats narration she records voice recordings on her phone that she is leaving for her unborn child in case she doesn’t make it out alive. Rams is the opposite of Nats. She is a sensible English woman who has moved to the States for work. Rams tries to provide a beacon of hope for Nats as they travel from hospital to hospital trying to find help for Nats and her unborn child. Through engaging prose, Tremblay does an excellent job at making each woman’s voice unique and their story believable.
Tremblay uses Survivor Song as a way to shed light on human nature in times of extreme duress. Not only does Tremblay use a pregnant woman as the forefront of this novel, but he also portrays teenagers who believe this is the zombie apocalypse and men who feel the need to stop the spread themselves. These characters show just how desperate people can become to survive in unlikely times. Survivor Song is a horror novel and what makes this book so compelling is that we are dealing with uncertain times in real life. While horror books about demons and ghosts can be scary, it is the books about scary humans, about viruses, and about things that can actually happen in our daily lives that make the horror genre petrifying.
Thank you to HarperCollins Publishing for providing this E-ARC through NetGalley.