Prequel to the "The Girl with All the Gifts", one of my favorite zombie novels as of yet. This one won’t be, but I’m glad I kept going!

The title is a bit odd, though. I’m not sure where the bridge is, to be honest, and I didn’t realize right away that Stephen was said boy, or even a boy at all (in my mind, he was a young man), nor did I realize he was autistic at first. Just different than the others. But I came to really appreciate his presence, his state of being. I have in general an affinity for the introverted, introspective, misunderstood, complex character who ‘s unnerved by uncertainty and clings to that kind of safety which only a specific kind of mental framework can provide. I see myself in Stephen, just as much as I can see myself in Cristopher in "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time", which at the time quickly became one of my favorite books of all time. You don’t get to stay in Stephen’s head all the time here, although the multiple POVs are one of the book’s strengths, seeing as the relationship between the members of the scientific expedition is the core aspect of the story. Their expedition and the dangers they encounter along the way adds action and adventure and curiosity.

Some might find the story a bit dull and say there’s not enough action, too few zombies and too much bickering. At times, I felt the same, and had I read the physical copy, I might’ve rated it 3. I just think I got way more engaged and connected with the characters since I listened to the audiobook. Especially since Finty Williams is so darn good at reading aloud. How engrossing!

I got answers to several questions I had from “The Girl With All the Gifts”, which is what a prequal should do. You could read this first, of course, but the ending, or rather, the epilogue (20 years after the events in the first book), may not be as satisfying to you, so I do recommend reading them in order of publication. I also think you probably won’t like this if you read it first. To me, I became more invested because I know what happens later, and because I had lots more pent-up desire to know more about what happens earlier. It’s not one of my favorite zombie books or anything, as I said. Far from it, in fact, but I still just really enjoyed it! And that’s what’s most important, right? 😊

Bøker lest i 2017.