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I am on a YA reading roll – it seems like all I want to read these days. That may be because the books I've chosen lately have kept me so riveted that I couldn't put them down. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is one of those books.
I'll admit, I've never really been into zombies, didn't like Night of the Living Dead, but this, I liked - perhaps because the focus of the book is not really on the zombies but on Mary and her dilemma.
Mary is a dreamer, a wisher, a hoper. She just knows that there is something beyond the Forest, but no one will listen to her. Why do we do that to kids, try to quash their dreams? She’s also strong; she’s lost both parents and been ostracized by her brother, but still she perseveres. She doesn't let the fact that she’s alone get her down. Instead, she tries to think of ways to get out of her current situation.
When the breach occurs and the Unconsecrated are unleashed upon the village, Mary is reunited with her brother and childhood friends, and together they must try to survive. Ryan writes more struggles into this part of the story. Mary and her brother find the love that they once had for each other as they struggle to survive and keep their friends alive. Again, Mary is the optimist, believing that they will succeed in finding life beyond their village and away from the Unconsecrated. If only the others had her faith.
This book opens up a discussion about choices. Why does Mary make the choices she makes, with her mother, between Travis and Harry, and many others throughout the book? What are your thoughts on hope? Should you let others deny you your dreams? What would you do or give up for your family and friends?
The Forest of Hands and Teeth has haunted me since I finished it. I often find myself thinking about Mary and the Unconsecrated. Middle-grade students on up to adults will enjoy this one.
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The Forest of Hands and Teeth