Synopsis
Full of heartbreak, revulsion and black humour, a scientist desperately searches for a cure to a zombie virus while also hiding a monumental secret – her undead husband.
Kesta’s husband Tim was the last person to be bitten in a zombie pandemic. The country is now in a period of respite, the government seemingly having rounded up and disposed of all the infected.
But Kesta has a secret . . .
Tim may have been bitten, but he’s not quite dead yet. In fact, he’s tied to a bed in her spare room. And she’s made him a promise: find a cure, bring him back.
A scientist by day, Kesta juggles intensive work under the microscope alongside Tim’s care, slipping him stolen drugs to keep him docile, knowing she is hiding the only zombie left. But Kesta is running out of drugs – and time. Can she save her husband before he is discovered? Or worse . . . will they trigger another outbreak?
Review
The loss of a loved one can be a horror, even if it’s coming is expected. But what if your loved one comes back from death? And what if there was a chance to save them?
This is what is explored in One Yellow Eye, the debut novel by Leigh Radford. This is a book that is a sermon on grief, on loss, terminal illness, and what lengths we would go to for the people we love, all dressed up as a zombie thriller. Following Kesta, a scientist and widowed victim of the recent zombie virus outbreak, who by day searches for a cure to prevent another disastrous outbreak. But at home, she keeps her undead husband locked away in a room, feeding him drugs and supplements to keep him “alive”, all whilst trying everything in her power to desperately cure him.
The zombie virus is used as an allegory for terminal illness, but really can be applied for any life-threatening illness; with COVID especially being prevalent in the underlayers of this novel. I think most people have unfortunately had to suffer the pain of loss, and even witness the inevitability of the end coming for someone that we love. This powerlessness is explored through Kesta, and her journey is so relatable. Ultimately, what would you do to save those that you love, and what lengths would you strive for to achieve that goal? She does a number of questionable things, more and more morally grey as she becomes more consumed by the grief that has its hooks in her. I also felt like it was a believable arc. This zombie outbreak is – to quote every news stations favourite word from the END TIMES OF 2020 – unprecedented, and the suddenness of this loss would rip even the most stoic of hearts apart. But having that light at the end of tunnel of the cure just on the horizon (and the fact that Kesta is actively a part of that process), makes her descent even more convincing.
This is also secretly a romance novel. The love that Kesta has for Tim, even in his undead state, is heart wrenching, and the absolute best moments in this story are when Kesta is at home with her husband reminiscing about the Before Times, about the memories that make her her, how much love she knows and still feels from her husband’s semi-lucid state. You can feel Leigh Radford is writing from the very depths of her soul when penning these parts.
I also liked how believable this zombie outbreak felt. As Kesta is a scientist, there is a large swath of this novel dedicated to the science behind the outbreak, the virus, the cure. It’s well researched, and considering most zombie thrillers either don’t bother with the science (which is fine if the story calls for it), it was refreshing to see just how in depth this went. If I had a gripe, it would be that the science-y bits maybe did outstay their welcome just a tad, but the conflict between Kesta and the bureaucracy of the lab – as she isn’t able to reveal how she is privy to some information without letting on that there’s a zombie chained up at home – is great and always filled with tension.
For me, One Yellow Eye is a deep exploration on love through grief, the devastating effects of loss, the inevitability of terminal illness, and what we do for those we love – and how much may be too much. Leigh Radford explores this sensitive area of discussion with subtlety, care, and aplomb. The closing moments of this novel will stay with me for a long while, and being so engrossed in this heart-breaking journey from the start was a pleasure to experience. I really hope Leigh Radford uses another horror archetype to explore something else in the future, and I’m excited to see where she goes next!
With thanks to Tor Nightfire for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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