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A review by shaziareads
Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
You might think a YA dystopian book from the 70s may not be too good now, but it really surprised me. There was so much suspense in this book, even more than some thrillers I've read recently.
Ann Burden is a teenage girl living alone in her valley-that was somehow not affected-after some sort of nuclear attack. At some point she notices there is a man slowly approaching where she is living. She is smart and watches him for a few days, and after he accidentally poisons himself by swimming in radioactive water, she chooses to step in and help treat him until he gets better. When he heals, you think he seems like a pretty decent guy but then he starts to unravel and does not stop.
I really did not like how Mr. Loomis treated Ann and how Ann chose to deal with their situation. She was way more patient than any other teenage protagonist I've read, but it kind of worked in this book. Of course a church-going gal living in the middle of nowhere in the 70s would be super polite to a man who was trying toassault (?), imprison (?), murder (????) her.
But despite that, I think this was a good, quick read, and definitely one I'd recommend to anyone who likes dystopian literature.
p.s. This is another book you may want to stay away from if you don't like animal deaths.
Ann Burden is a teenage girl living alone in her valley-that was somehow not affected-after some sort of nuclear attack. At some point she notices there is a man slowly approaching where she is living. She is smart and watches him for a few days, and after he accidentally poisons himself by swimming in radioactive water, she chooses to step in and help treat him until he gets better. When he heals, you think he seems like a pretty decent guy but then he starts to unravel and does not stop.
I really did not like how Mr. Loomis treated Ann and how Ann chose to deal with their situation. She was way more patient than any other teenage protagonist I've read, but it kind of worked in this book. Of course a church-going gal living in the middle of nowhere in the 70s would be super polite to a man who was trying to
But despite that, I think this was a good, quick read, and definitely one I'd recommend to anyone who likes dystopian literature.
p.s. This is another book you may want to stay away from if you don't like animal deaths.