Severance by Ling Ma

Severance

Ling Ma

This thrilling new take on the zombie genre combines social commentary on globalism, capitalism, immigration and belonging while ratcheting up tension as a group of survivors struggle in a post-apocalyptic planet ravaged by disease. The story flips between present and the near-past as we learn more about a world in the midst of collapse. You will be hooked by the main character's resilience as she seeks hope and freedom from the fever.

Extract

The truth is, I was not there at the Beginning. I was not there for any of the Googlings or the Walmart stalking or the feastings or the spontaneous mass tattooings. I was the last one out of New York, the last one of the group to join. By the time they found me, the infrastructure had already collapsed. The internet had caved into a sinkhole, the electrical grid had shut down, and the road trip toward the Facility was already under way.

It had been the nostalgia-yellow of the Yellow Cab that the group had first spotted
parked along the shoulder of a road in Pennsylvania. [...]

I was dehydrated and half-conscious in the backseat. I wouldn't speak.

The truth is, I had stayed in the city as long as I possibly could. The whole time, I had been half waiting for myself to turn, to become fevered like everyone else. Nothing happened. I waited and waited. I still wait.

Parallels
  • Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
  • The Girl with All the Gifts by MR Carey
  • Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood