I read Dread Nation when it came out in 2018 entirely by chance. I had seen it mentioned by someone on Twitter and bought it on a whim. From the first line, I was hooked. The prologue sets up the story with such flavor and cohesion, you fall into the world and it never lets go. I truly have never stopped thinking about this book since my first reading.
And then Deathless Divide just gets better.
The backstory is that at The Battle of Gettysburg, the dead rise. I found this especially impactful, having visited the Gettysburg Battlefield multiple times. It is hard to describe just how big the actual field of battle was without standing on the sweeping hills. Over three days around FIFTY THOUSAND people perished. Fields full of fallen soldiers, smoke on the wind, the smell and sound and scene…and then they all rise and turn on their injured and exhausted comrades. The war immediately turns into one of living versus dead which has no end in sight.
However, neither the zombies nor the war nor the usual elite are the focus of this story. Instead, Ireland tells the story of Jane, a teenager training to be an Attendant – a Negro training to both protect and serve a white woman in the South. Racial politics are examined and judged through a story combining history and horror, woven together with unforgettable characters and relationships that you can’t help but wish were forged in a happier landscape.
Deathless Divide adds the perspective of Katharine, a fellow Attendant, and travels across America. The story not only explores what might have happened if the dead had risen during this crisis point in US history, but also includes characters from almost every background, race, sexuality, gender, and more. Ireland deftly handles the true variety of human experience, each character showcasing a new viewpoint, while never allowing the story to be overshadowed. It is a book that I continue to think about, especially right now as the world investigates biases on more intense levels each day.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fresh perspective, an investigation into how we got where we are, or simply a delightful zombie story told from another point-of-view.
Read it, and let me know what you think.
Have a lovely day,
Tori
Editorial Services by Victoria Rose 