The Girl with All the Gifts – M R Carey

Ten-year-old Melanie lives in a post-apocalyptic England that is all she has known. The end of the world that the surviving grown-ups knew came twenty years ago in the form of a virulent fungus that attacks the human brain and central nervous system. The hi-jacked body becomes zombie-like, with hunger for the flesh of the uninfected. Hence their name – the hungries. Anyone bitten but not killed becomes a new host, so picture a cross between athlete’s foot and a vampire!

The uninfected humans that survive, manage as best they can. Some, the ‘junkers’, follow an itinerant life, scavenging food, shelter, and technology from the remains of civilisation. Others are more proactive and have retreated into a fortified enclave, the Beacon, where they work to find a solution to eradicating the hungries. As part of that effort, an outstation has been established to enable scientists to research the precise effect the fungus has on the brain. This is where Melanie comes in.

Some post-apocalyptic children like her are clearly infected but have not yet developed the zombie-like symptoms. A sample has been rounded up in the hope they could provide a clue to researchers, who have two approaches. Educational psychologist, Helen Justineau, gives them lessons to assess their capacity to learn, which is impressive. Neurosurgeon, Caroline Caldwell, removes their brains and slices them up for analysis. The security of the base is the responsibility of Sergeant Parks who must be alert to the threats from hungries and the junkers outside the fence, and of the children whom he regards as the enemy within.

Melanie is seen as a vulnerable child by Justineau, a dangerous animal by Parks, and a specimen by Caldwell. When the base is attacked and overrun, the four escape in a damaged Humvee vehicle and attempt to make it to the Beacon. Mutual loathing, distrust, fear, and incomprehension have to be managed in the face of the existential threat all around.

The narrative is shared between the main protagonists, which gives differing perspectives and depth. The post-apocalyptic landscape is vividly portrayed and once the premiss is accepted, the outcomes are credible enough. Though majoring in tension and action, there are enough ethical issues thrown up to make this more than just a very good thriller.