My Zombie Sweetheart by Christopher Robertson

While VN’s humor calls to movies like “American Pie,” “Sex Drive,” and “Scary Movie,” the subject matter goes much deeper as these characters fight to sort out their traumas. Vincent balances the trio, and his story arc is perhaps the most important because of his family history. All of the characters are well thought out and complement each other Michael is the gentlest of the three friends, while Caleb provides the right touch of humor and camp. Then we have Vincent (I’d say our main character, though sometimes Caleb fights for that spot), clearly still grieving over the death of his father, and he has anger management issues. It was rewarding for me, the reader, to see Michael’s growth, and to see him stand up to certain characters later in the book. It’s in large part because of the religious upbringing that he has a difficult time with touch, sex, and intimacy – something we don’t see a lot in the horror genre, where characters are screwing left and right. Michael is always at war with himself and conflicted. This contrasts with his friend Michael, who is full of shame and fear.

What I appreciated about Caleb was his sexual freedom and shameless “live it up” approach to life. As a gay man, you could say I’m quite familiar with the word “f*g,” and the treatment against the character Caleb from his peers and others in the town is realistic, uncomfortable, and maybe triggering for some readers – but all the same, I think it’s a realistic depiction of what some LGBTQ+ people go through, especially in a very small community inhabited by hardcore religious zealots. I appreciated that Robertson didn’t shy away from difficult and uncomfortable topics. VN offers a rich variety of diverse characters, each with different upbringings and dysfunctional family lives. Just be sure to take a break and get a glass of water or something. You could likely read this in one or two sittings like I did, but your eyeballs will fall out of your face. The book never feels slow and you want to continue reading. The second half of the book picks up in terms of pace with a lot of bloody action, though action and high-stakes situations are consistent throughout. I appreciated that Robertson took his time world-building with some very necessary and often comical exposition. The first half of the book introduces the characters and their world as they prepare for the shitstorm coming in the second half of the book (there’s a great Bruce Campbell-as-Ash montage of the characters preparing a weapon to fight the demon).

You can almost picture those faded, worn “cigarette burns” in the film reel as scenes intercut and transition. Language such as “Pull back from to…” and “Jump-cut inside a bedroom” is abundant throughout. I like the consistent reminder that this could be a movie we’re watching. Robertson’s descriptive style makes you feel like you’re right there in the movie – err, pages.

My Zombie Sweetheart by Christopher Robertson