Review: Mira Grant’s Feed
I must apologize, all I write lately is book reviews. I’ll try to change it up from now on.
Anyway, I finished Feed last night. It is a young adult (YA) zombie apocalypse novel that was nominated for several awards and was pretty successful. I love zombies but don’t typically read YA fiction. When I do I enjoy it as long as the author doesn’t try to be too serious. Feed tries to be fun and serious but accomplishes neither. I just didn’t get into it and had to put it down a little over halfway through.
The narrator, Georgia Mason, is a twenty something internet journalist covering all things zombie in a post zombie apocalypse world. It is a time when the undead are just a part of life in America. There are constant blood tests, scans, various hazard zones, etc. There is plenty about internet journalism, the basics of blogging, and all sorts of other details about their profession. She works with her twin brother Shaun and their trusty tech expert Buffy. In a stroke of good luck they are chosen to cover Senator Peter Ryman, who is running for president. It is a huge break for the trio. As the campaign continues they uncover an incredible conspiracy that had me excited to finish it. Unfortunately it fell apart a little after that.
The science in the book is great, including an explanation of the zombie virus, the events that led to the outbreak and the aftermath. The developments post-outbreak are especially interesting. It was creative and the best element of the book.
Zombies are typically used for horror and action. I prefer horror zombie, but am open to something else if its funny or has plenty of action. Unfortunately Feed just isn’t funny. The jokes and punchlines are all pretty juvenile. The bulk of the book is actually about internet journalism with very little action. Granted, I did not finish the book so it might’ve shifted gears at the end but it seemed like this was a book about journalism not zombies.
Without the fun or action, the book focused more on the quirks of the main characters, their jobs as journalists, and the presidential campaign they were covering. When a novel goes in a more serious direction like this my expectations rise.
Feed covers heavy topics like politics, religion, and death – and approaches none of them in a thoughtful way. All three are dealt with superficially from an ill-informed perspective. If you are going to write a novel about a presidential campaign and focus on political commentary, it probably shouldn’t be superficial (especially if the book is 570 pages). The author’s portrayal of certain politicians were ineptly transparent jabs at conservatives. One politician is a big-breasted bimbo seeking the Republican nomination (Sarah Palin), while another is a gun-toting, Church-loving Texan (George W. Bush). If it were clever or funny I’d be all for it but it wasn’t.
It was also clear early on the author has some serious hang ups about Christianity. At first I thought Georgia’s issues with organized religion was just part of the character but as the story continues it becomes clear it’s another transparent expression of the author’s opinion. Again, if it were funny or clever it could’ve worked.
Usually when I am having trouble with a book, I don’t just stop. I want to read it to the end and see if the climax and/or the conclusion pulls it together. I try to stick it out when the story bogs down but sometimes there’s something in a book that is so troublesome I just can’t pick it up again.
SPOILER ALERT! The part that forced me to stop was a scene where the senator, who just lost his daughter a few days prior, is listening to three bratty journalists demand an interview with his wife (a grief-stricken mother). How am I to believe someone who just lost a daughter would be so patient, understanding, and deferential to these three kids? And I say kids because they act like children throughout, not professional journalists. To think any parent would endure that is ridiculous. It was infuriating and made me strongly dislike Georgia as well as her brother.
By then there were almost no zombies, it wasn’t funny, and now I hated the main character and her brother. There was simply nothing to keep me going.
Since I couldn’t finish it, I have to give Feed only 1 star. I have high standards when it comes to novels that touch on politics, history, law, religion, and things like that. I also have a bias against movies or books that use zombies as props or background and not as part of the core story. I understand the novel was well-liked by many and the trilogy is fairly successful. I can only conclude I was not the intended audience.
On to Hunger Games and then Bowl of Heaven.
Jacob
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