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

[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."