Breeding Ground
Let's talk about the disgustingly wonderful world of widows feasting on homo-sapiens.
There were so many things that were great about this read. From character development to the post-apocalyptic feel, we follow a full cast of personalities on their journey of survival. My favorite part of this novel was the disturbing and disgusting images Pinborough puts in the reader's head through her writing. Most of the best scenes took place early on in the book, and they all revolved around Chloe and her transformation. Matt describes her eating raw meat in lovely detail, and their dead baby ripped to shreds on their kitchen floor.
The widows were described as extremely detailed. I could see them sucking, lunging, and hissing without a problem. From the beginning, the plot takes off, without a seat belt. Chloe never loses her concern for Matt, even when it seems that her body is nothing more than a shell. She tells him to leave before it is too late.
Matt, on the other hand, fell short as a character to me. Do not get me wrong, he developed as a character, and the writing was not the issue. I just did not like him as a person. He built the relationship between him and Chloe up to be something that was not replaceable then makes sure to have sex with the two able-bodied women around him. Sure, I get human instinct, but he saw his mutilated baby, and the "love of his life" change before his eyes. He also repeatedly stated that she was still everything to him, even what she physically started to disgust him. I know sex can be a coping mechanism, and believe me, I get coping mechanisms. But his desire to have sex with both of the only two women still around, I rolled my eyes at him for being greedy and ridiculous. Why build up your previous relationship so much only to chuck it off a bridge?
Now, the style in which this novel is written bothers me. I do not like the journalist feel it has while lacking the journalistic style. In a post-apocalyptic world, I guess track of time would be easy to lose, so I will cut my edge of cheese off and leave it at that. Except for adding one more thing: I don't like reading journal-style novels. "All stories come off as journal style because that character is narrating their life." Sure. You can take that and run for the hills. This story was written in the past tense. In fact, the ending is horribly botched due to the wreck in and havoc of the narration.
Matt was writing this journal out in the time it happened, but we were reading it after the matter. Meaning, why did we not know if they lived or repopulated? Why do we end off with them driving away? Did he chuck the journal out the window instead of keeping it? Why is the ending a cliff-hanger when the story is from the past? Granted, I always want everyone to die so I could be biased in thinking the ending was unsatisfying and botched, but here is my opinion on it. Yes, there is a second book, I know. BUT I did not realize that when I finished reading this one. Even with a sequel, at least make some sort of outlook for it. It seems like he frisbeed the journal out the window for this one only to write another one (sequel)?
Overall, I loved the plot. From the clear female and black male widows. The males at the end took me for a ride. I'll say, props to Pinborough because I did not see that one coming. It was a good smack in the face, though. While my love for death was not fully quenched in this go around, my passion for violence was soothed because a lot of the characters in this book got taken out, in a gory fashion too. The author even killed off the bratty kid. Tipping my hat to you, Ms. Pinborough.
So what else is left? How did it all happen? Yes, some form of mutation gone wrong. The apparent form of infection is through male sperm, and a bite from a widow. Now, the question left, after Matt so kindly murders Katie by having sex with her, did the male sperm and anatomy turn against their own hosts and evolve to breed how spiders would naturally? Can I have a bit more information on how Rebecca's blood was a holy grail? I felt cut short on the background information, but the author kept me in for her disgusting imagery. Unfortunately though, without the info keeping you on the page, many would put this novel down for the mere shock-value it sets rather than education on the creatures. But, Ms. Pinborough, please keep mutilating the humans because that makes my heart flutter.
At the end of the day, it's gory, it's creepy, it's a fun read. But, just like everything, it does have some flaws. Would I recommend this novel? Absolutely. Is it going to sit on the shelf or does it have re-read value? The start to the second to the last chapter, I can see myself re-reading, but the final chapter? I will conjure up some monstrosity worth of four pages where no one makes it out of that camp alive before I read some sappy stuff about three people setting off to find survivors and be the key for the human race. There is always too much hope in apocalyptic works with their endings. Where is the novel that kills them all, and that's it? I want that one, and I'll rip out the last chapter of this novel and replace it with the one where everyone dies, and there is no hope. I am a monster.
There were so many things that were great about this read. From character development to the post-apocalyptic feel, we follow a full cast of personalities on their journey of survival. My favorite part of this novel was the disturbing and disgusting images Pinborough puts in the reader's head through her writing. Most of the best scenes took place early on in the book, and they all revolved around Chloe and her transformation. Matt describes her eating raw meat in lovely detail, and their dead baby ripped to shreds on their kitchen floor.
The widows were described as extremely detailed. I could see them sucking, lunging, and hissing without a problem. From the beginning, the plot takes off, without a seat belt. Chloe never loses her concern for Matt, even when it seems that her body is nothing more than a shell. She tells him to leave before it is too late.
Matt, on the other hand, fell short as a character to me. Do not get me wrong, he developed as a character, and the writing was not the issue. I just did not like him as a person. He built the relationship between him and Chloe up to be something that was not replaceable then makes sure to have sex with the two able-bodied women around him. Sure, I get human instinct, but he saw his mutilated baby, and the "love of his life" change before his eyes. He also repeatedly stated that she was still everything to him, even what she physically started to disgust him. I know sex can be a coping mechanism, and believe me, I get coping mechanisms. But his desire to have sex with both of the only two women still around, I rolled my eyes at him for being greedy and ridiculous. Why build up your previous relationship so much only to chuck it off a bridge?
Now, the style in which this novel is written bothers me. I do not like the journalist feel it has while lacking the journalistic style. In a post-apocalyptic world, I guess track of time would be easy to lose, so I will cut my edge of cheese off and leave it at that. Except for adding one more thing: I don't like reading journal-style novels. "All stories come off as journal style because that character is narrating their life." Sure. You can take that and run for the hills. This story was written in the past tense. In fact, the ending is horribly botched due to the wreck in and havoc of the narration.
Matt was writing this journal out in the time it happened, but we were reading it after the matter. Meaning, why did we not know if they lived or repopulated? Why do we end off with them driving away? Did he chuck the journal out the window instead of keeping it? Why is the ending a cliff-hanger when the story is from the past? Granted, I always want everyone to die so I could be biased in thinking the ending was unsatisfying and botched, but here is my opinion on it. Yes, there is a second book, I know. BUT I did not realize that when I finished reading this one. Even with a sequel, at least make some sort of outlook for it. It seems like he frisbeed the journal out the window for this one only to write another one (sequel)?
Overall, I loved the plot. From the clear female and black male widows. The males at the end took me for a ride. I'll say, props to Pinborough because I did not see that one coming. It was a good smack in the face, though. While my love for death was not fully quenched in this go around, my passion for violence was soothed because a lot of the characters in this book got taken out, in a gory fashion too. The author even killed off the bratty kid. Tipping my hat to you, Ms. Pinborough.
So what else is left? How did it all happen? Yes, some form of mutation gone wrong. The apparent form of infection is through male sperm, and a bite from a widow. Now, the question left, after Matt so kindly murders Katie by having sex with her, did the male sperm and anatomy turn against their own hosts and evolve to breed how spiders would naturally? Can I have a bit more information on how Rebecca's blood was a holy grail? I felt cut short on the background information, but the author kept me in for her disgusting imagery. Unfortunately though, without the info keeping you on the page, many would put this novel down for the mere shock-value it sets rather than education on the creatures. But, Ms. Pinborough, please keep mutilating the humans because that makes my heart flutter.
At the end of the day, it's gory, it's creepy, it's a fun read. But, just like everything, it does have some flaws. Would I recommend this novel? Absolutely. Is it going to sit on the shelf or does it have re-read value? The start to the second to the last chapter, I can see myself re-reading, but the final chapter? I will conjure up some monstrosity worth of four pages where no one makes it out of that camp alive before I read some sappy stuff about three people setting off to find survivors and be the key for the human race. There is always too much hope in apocalyptic works with their endings. Where is the novel that kills them all, and that's it? I want that one, and I'll rip out the last chapter of this novel and replace it with the one where everyone dies, and there is no hope. I am a monster.
I gotta say Alexis, I agree with most of what you wrote. I hadn't really thought about the journalistic way it was narrated, but your spot on with that. Something kept bugging me about it, but I didn't figure it out until I read your observation. We know that Matt survives, because he writes this damn story for any other survivors out there. It kind of takes away the fear that Matt could get killed, or incapacitated, when you know he makes it out of the whole thing able to write it all. By the way, I didn't get the feeling he was writing as he went. It seemed more to me that he wrote this all after the fact. Did I miss something that indicated he was keeping a journal?
ReplyDeleteI also didn't like Matt as a character, but I don't think it was Matt, but more, how Pinborough wrote him. I just didn't think he was consistent. I didn't take it that his whole caring about Chloe and the baby was genuine, and I don't take it that sex was some kind of coping mechanism. I just think Pinborough changed him to fit her story, and that change didn't feel like it happened as a natural progression of the story. I liked him at first, but bailed on him once he became inconsistent. From then on, the enjoyment of the story was relegated to the widows and descriptions that surround them and the situation they put the characters in. Still a good read, but lacking a little.
I totally agree that the last chapter sucked. It sucked a lot. To me, it felt like Pinborough had to meet some kind of deadline with the book, and said, fuck it, I'm just gonna have them all split up and drive off and set myself up for the sequel. Total let down. The book didn't really end.
If you read Feeding Ground, please let me know if you feel like that one actually concludes a story. My distrust of Pinborough on that matter is what will probably keep me from reading it.
Meant to say "I didn't take it that his whole caring about Chloe and the baby wasn't genuine"
DeleteI was referring the the first chapter where he says, I may be dead by the time you read this when making the assumption it is written as he goes through it these things.
DeleteI think she had solid character development in her writing, I just did not like Matt as the person he is, not because of Pinborough's writing.
If I am honest with you, Arnzen gave me a lot of authors to read into when I have time because they write like me and don't care what anyone else thinks because they write well enough and have the balls to do it. I also avoid apocalyptic works exactly because they all end the same way: some sort of hope.
Ah, yeah. Didn't really think about it, but he did mention that "may be dead by the time you read this" line. Good catch. That does make is sound like he was writing things down the whole time. But again, I think its a failing on Pinborough's characterization, because nothing in Matt's character indicated to me that he would be the kind of person to do that.
DeleteI interpreted that "may be dead by the time you read this" line as Matt being holed up somewhere, scribbling down his story while widows tried to bust down the door. I was really taken aback at the end that we didn't ever see him writing, or hiding the journal, or somehow otherwise acknowledging that he was coming to the end of his account. Even if there's a sequel, it felt weird for him not to—I don't know—hide his story somewhere in the compound in case more survivors ever came across it.
DeleteHi Alexis,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Shoe, that is excellent insight into the journalistic or generally flat and unemotional tone to the writing style. It is the end of the world and it needs some more emotion. That could be one of the underlying problems with the book. I also agree that the book started out a lot stronger then it ended. Once the group was established and they hit the road it really dragged for me. There was no sense of purpose to the journey. I say that in the sense of purpose for the theme and underlying message that the author may have wanted to convey. Overall, I found the book boring. Body horror is fun, PA is fun but this combination driven by an unlikable protagonist was not really fun. I think this premise, properly executed could have been nuts (in a good way) but the overall style and author's choices really brought it down.
I agree the beginning kicked off, and some parts in the middle did get tedious. Now considering that, it seems like there was no real point to their wondering other than survival and the author had to throw a wild card out to keep it interesting (male widows).
DeleteI love that you brought up the raw meat scene. That and the description of the fetus having been gnawed on were my favorite descriptive parts of the story. I also loved the twist at the end with the black widows.
ReplyDeleteI agree though that I was left with a lot of questions at the end of the book. I think this book could have done with a little more sci-fi style research to back up some of it's information, but I understand why that wasn't added given the education and experience of Matt. I almost wish he hadn't been the main character, but I also feel like a lot of the other characters in the book wouldn't have been good narrators either.
As to be expected, I think that the whole sex situation was baffling, and I'm glad that someone not ace agrees too. How the men in these novels can lose their wife and/or children and then just move on to be sex-crazed over the only women left alive is insane to me. Yes, I understand continuing the human race, but good god, scoping out ladies only a day or two after your girlfriend dies a horrible death is brutal.
If I am honest, I struggled to care about any of these characters (except the dog) and took my seat belt off on the coaster for the next death.I also did not like how Rebecca's character development goes right out the window when she steps in between a faster out than the mutation. It seemed so left field for her innocent and kind character.
DeleteI completely agree with your comment about the "journalistic" style of the writing, Alexis. While I don't always dislike the style—I actually really love World War Z and Stephen King's Carrie, both of which are written as post-event investigations—the use of that style in this book really took me out of the story. It was frustrating, because like you said, there was so much really nasty, gory imagery for the author to play with. But reading the section about Dave's amputation, the narrative style ended up feeling like a tool to spare the reader the details, since Matt could just skip over that part and assure us that it was really gross. But I don't want to take your word for it, Matt!
ReplyDeleteI agree, too, about the lack of background information being irritating. What I really want to know is whether Rebecca's deafness makes her immune to the widows even after she and Matt have sex, since she seems to be at the center of the Venn diagram for immunity (ie. deafness and virginity). I also really wished that Matt had spent a bit more time thinking about the implications of his relationship with Rebecca. On the one hand, it feels satisfying that he got to have a wife and baby like he lost in the beginning, but on the other hand he never really seems to think about it like that. I also wondered what on earth kind of pheromones that man had to make the only two surviving females on earth go after only him and not any of the other eight males in the group.
Still, I agree that it was definitely worth reading, and quite possibly re-reading! I'd say it's been my favorite of the bunch so far.
I do not like journalistic style novels, but I am enjoying World War Z a lot right now! The execution is wonderful.
DeleteRebecca as a character was too confusing. She was immune, but pregnant? What made her immune? What was in her blood? Because it is a bit botched if the author just expects us to run with she is deaf and can't hear them radioactively infest human bodies by implanting their young. What about all the non-deaf and unaffected people?