Never thought you could love a zombie novel?? This one, and its predecessor The Girl With All The Gifts, are game changers. Both are set in a post-apocalyptic world where a virus has turned the vast majority of humans into flesh-eating “hungries”. The Boy on the Bridge sees some of the remaining decent and not-so-decent humans pitted against one other in the claustrophobic environment of an armoured vehicle where the atmosphere inside is only slightly less hostile than outside. The action sequences are breathtakingly good and the depiction of a surreal landscape devoid of humanity compelling. But what is truly riveting is watching each human struggle with their conscience, and one another, to answer the essential question of what they are prepared to live with in order to survive. This novel is an unexpectedly uplifting meditation on humanity while still being a riveting read. Bite into it.
