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by Francesca Lia Block
I have had a life-long love affair with Block's writing. I remember bidding on her book Dangerous Angels (a compilation of all her books in the Weetzie Bat series at the time). I don't remember where I heard or read her name. I don't know what possessed me to bid on her book. I just can't remember, but I'm so glad that I did because her books are full of magical realism. There is family and love and pain and it just all fits together and makes sense.
It has been a long time since I've read a Block book. I lost touch with her writing simply because I got too busy in my real life to read anything that wasn't printed in some scholarly journal.
So, how thrilled was I last night when I read that Block was making her collection of short stories, Lay Me Out Softly, in ebook free for today??? (It's also still available as I write this, click here) I made sure to remember, quite a feat for me, and here I am about to review the first one I read :)
So, I read "Revenant's Anonymous". I did not know what a revenant was before I started reading this story. I thought, hey, I learned how to use context clues, I'll just do that to figure it out. Ha! I was so confused by the second paragraph! Just so we're clear, a revenant is like a zombie.
With that said, this is a unique story about a group of revenants that meet for their Revenant's Anonymous every so often to talk about their experience and basically what they are now that they are dead. The story is specifically about Casey and Ed. Both are dead and both, through talking to each other, begin to remember what it was like to be alive. The reader basically joins Casey as she comes alive with Ed as she's falling for him. She begins to notice the "little" things, like a ghostly pulse under her skin when he touches her, the blush that doesn't stay on her cheeks and the nervousness at being around Ed. Through getting to know each other, Ed and Casey learn how it is to live with a soul, even if it is a ghostly one.
Truly a beautiful story that made me think about what a soul is and how falling in love or just crushing on someone...feeling a touch, even, can make someone feel alive. This story made me fall in love with Block's writing all over again and I can't wait to read more from this collection.
Verdict
Read it if you love zombies and/or love stories. It is unlike other zombie stories (even Warm Bodies) and other love stories. I hope it gets the reader interested in reading some more from Francesca Lia Block.
Also, zombie sex.
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