What in the world were you thinking, author?

[thistlechaser]

I wouldn't usually write about a book before finishing it, but this has been bothering me since last night. Book three of the YA not-zombie trilogy I've been posting about lately.

The scene: A band of fighters is moving from one town to another, through not-zombie territory. They're attacked, outnumbered, but in the end they win. One member, the son in a father-son fighting pair, is mortally wounded. They can't stay with him until he dies, can't carry him with them.

They're armed with knives and guns, and used both in the battle (so no worry about the gunshot attracting unwanted attention). They've killed not-zombies by "stabbing them in the heart" multiple times, including in this battle.

From the book:

...their eyes locked. "Make it quick, Pa."

"Aye," Thornson [his father] said.

In a dreadful, tender gesture, he scooped Dennis into his arms and carried him to the river. There, he held the boy's head in the water until he stopped struggling."

Reading that again, I just have no words. This has to be a logic fail of the author's, not of Thornson.

The image of that scene is scarier than anything else in this not-zombie* story.

* The author is very big on saying this isn't a zombie story. However, in all ways but one, these creatures are zombies. Somehow they're breeding, but otherwise: zombie.

Comments

[resonant.livejournal.com]

He must really not have liked his son.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

That's the only thing that makes sense...

[hamsterwoman]

I guess this was some kind of impression that death-by-drowning is "gentler" than getting stabbed in the heart or shot? (I suppose it's hard to be "dreadfully tender" when shooting someone, execution-style...) But, combined with "make it quick", that does seem rather... odd.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Maybe (and this is a big maybe), the author thought kids would think it was kinder? That they wouldn't know better? I can't for the life of me imagine drowning someone I love in that situation -- it would be the opposite of quick and painless.

Gah, this book.

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

Cheery!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Not! :P

[adam-0oo.livejournal.com]

"It's not a ghost, it is a poltergeist!"
"It isn't a ghost, it is a demon!"

Claiming they are not zombies just sounds like denial. And classifying something as not a zombie only really matters in a world THAT ALREADY HAS ZOMBIES.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yep, exactly. As I'm getting further and further into the third book, there's a ton of crap about their DNA and how they're evolving/have genetic memory -- she really should have stuck with them being zombies.

[kamalloy.livejournal.com]

Shooting or stabbing someone would produce a lot of blood. Drowning doesn't. That's really the only reason I can think of for that. Still, extremely disturbing.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah. They were all wounded/bleeding though, and the not-zombies were on their trail already, so I suspect it probably wasn't that.

So disturbing. I'm tempted to write to her and ask about it.

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

Okay, that drowning the kid thing? Creepy beyond words. Eeeek.

I must say that your icon is very amusing and appropriate.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy to have that icon! This round of free icons from that artist, I got two for bad books, the one on the post and the one on this comment. I read so many bad ones, I needed them!

And yeah, two days later and I'm still disturbed by that scene. I don't think that was the author's goal!

[teslanomaly]

THAT IS HORRIFYING. D: D: D:

...that is all.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

It so is. The stuff of nightmares! D:

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

In a dreadful, tender gesture, he scooped Dennis into his arms and carried him to the river. There, he held the boy's head in the water until he stopped struggling.

Dafug did I just read?! O_o

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I cannot explain it. I just cannot.

I really, really want to know what the author was thinking. I'm tempted to email her and ask.

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

I've read things a lot more brutal and graphic, granted, but this author seems like quite the fuckwit. LOL

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think this is bad/funny because she didn't mean it to be. "I love you, so while you're mortally wounded -- your insides clawed out by not-zombies -- let me hold your head under water and watch you struggle while your insides are flinging all over the place."

[teaandfailure.livejournal.com]

I just. I can't even. I was going to say sounds like someone believes that myth that drowning is a peaceful "return to the womb" way to die, but it's basically acknowledged the boy struggles.

HOW IS THAT QUICK?!?!? I just. Don't even.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I have never heard that myth THANKFULLY. Who in the world would think that?

I can't explain it. I really can't. (But I sure would like the author to!)