TAKE ALL OF US

A disabled teen survives death during a disaster.

In the small West Virginia town of Kittakoop, it’s normal to see the dead shambling around, going through the motions of life. Fifteen-year-old Ian, who has epilepsy and reads white, is used to the zombies by now, but what he’s not used to is being in love with his best friend and unable to admit it. But when Ian has a seizure in the mall, triggered by flashing lights from an emergency evacuation notice, he dies—and then is revived by the same strange, underexplained magic that drives the convoluted mystery in this story. Once Ian comes back to life, he meets a fierce girl named Angel, whose main role seems to be lecturing him—and readers—about the political ramifications of being perceived as “a disabled, expendable burden” and being “noble sacrifices for the greater good.” In the mall, Ian and Angel run into Monica, who’s cued Black and is the “only other disabled kid in town,” and Ian’s longstanding feelings of competition with her provide another thread of didacticism. The metaphors behind the walking dead intertwine with musings on disability and a cryptic, creepy message about mountains “calling the dead home.” Unfortunately, the jerky plot and inconsistent worldbuilding leave much to be desired, with unclear fantastical elements as well as too broadly drawn characters.

An earnest and ambitious attempt that fails to coalesce.