Allison Hewitt Is Trapped by Madeleine Roux

Humour in such a dark setting is hard to pull off, but I'm gonna have to sadly give a thumbs down to this genre mash-up. That's not to say there aren't enjoyable plot twists in this story, but the supporting characters are cipher-like at best, the protagonist is a Mary Sue if ever there was one, and the framing aspects of the chapters (comments threads from the blogged experience of the protagonist) are distracting. (And seriously, how is there a working wireless router every 3 blocks, when the wheels have fallen off everything else?) This just reads like a post-pubescent's initial approach to awkward romantic liaisons, occasionally interrupted by starvation and what should be a terrifying wave of rotting cannibal corpses (but aren't). Of course characters have relationships, even in wars and natural disasters, but the stakes are significantly higher at these times, the moments of love much more fragile and poignant.

I just couldn't buy that characters in absolute mortal peril would frequently pause to cogitate about their relationships, have extended D&Ms, and all continuously engage in sassy upbeat dialogue in this somewhat sanitised apocalypse. The upbeat aspects of this narrative are a welcome relief from the grinding ennui typical to this subgenre, but when held up against Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the episodic moon-calf introspection of the protagonist is completely misplaced. It's a brave experiment, attempting to invest chick-lit sensibilities into a post-apocalyptic piece, but one that just doesn't gell when you look at suspension of disbelief. I truly wanted to enjoy this book, and while the basic idea appealed to me, for several reasons the narrative is flawed and ultimately did not deliver the goods. But I would like to make a request for bigger weapons.I first picked up this book due to the interesting concept, 'Allison Hewitt is Trapped' being a stitch-up work designed from a blogged novel. 'Madeline Roux manages to answer the eternal question all of us must ask ourselves eventually: 'When the zombie apocalypse comes (and it will come), how will I handle it?' For my part, I hope I manage it with as much humanity and determination as Allison.

But as the reality of their situation sinks in, Allison's blog becomes a harrowing account of her edge-of-the-seat adventures (with some witty sarcasm thrown in) as she and her companions fight their way through ravenous zombies and sometimes even more dangerous humans. It may also be her only chance to reach her mother. Allison reaches out for help through her blog, writing on her laptop and utilizing the military's emergency wireless network (SNET). From the New York Times bestselling author of ASYLUM comes one woman's story as she blogs - and fights back - the zombie apocalypseĪllison Hewitt and her five colleagues at the Brooks and Peabody Bookstore are trapped together when the zombie outbreak hits.

Allison Hewitt Is Trapped by Madeleine Roux