Zombie

Rating:
Summary: Inside the mind of a serial killer
Review: "Zombie," the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, is narrated in the first person by Quentin P___, the son of a distinguished professor. On probation for an incident involving an underaged boy, Quentin becomes obsessed with a horrific plan: to kidnap and lobotomize another human being, thus turning him into a "zombie" sex slave.

"Zombie" is a gripping, suspenseful read. Oates' superbly crafted prose really brings you into a mind that is cunning and methodical, yet strangely childish. As Quentin narrates his bloody efforts to create a zombie, he also recalls formative events of his past.

"Zombie" contains many graphic scenes of horrific violence and sex. It is a story of psychological horror that reminds me of some of the work of seminal master Edgar Allen Poe. Oates' horror here is not supernatural, but based in the real phenomenon of the obsessive-compulsive serial murderer. The book is unsettling; what is Oates trying to say? How are we supposed to understand Quentin? But I think the troubling ambiguity is part of the brilliance of "Zombie."

Rating:
Summary: Don't bother
Review: A thouroughly disappointing work by Joyce Carol Oates. I was at first disappointed at the fact it was so short (hardly a novel at all) but at the end regarded its brevity as a blessing. Only the most shallow depths of emotion are examined in this tale of the mind of a serial killer - a news paper story provides as much. For a similar first person account of a disturbed mind check out Butcher Boy by Pat McCabe

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: A) It's concise.
B) It's excellent.
C) Better than a Thomas Harris novel, but a totally different sort of story.
D) You can read it in a day or two.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating, fascinating, engrossing... yet disturbing
Review: Allow me to begin by commenting on how easily I became engrossed with this novella. JCO's mastery of the horror genre hooks the reader not with blood and gore or unbelievably dramatic escapades, but rather with delicate yet harrowing insight into the mind of a serial killer.

By far, the most compelling feature of this masterpiece is the use of first-person narration, avoiding the common attempt to objectively analyze this "Dahmer-esque" fictional killer. Instead, Oates' combination of meticulous research within the scientific discipline and amazing ability to communicate from WITHIN the mind of her "creation" provides quite a disturbing yet engrossing plot. In this plot, the very disturbed "Quentin P--" is portrayed as a protagonist - the reader actually WANTS to see him go through with his most horrible plans for "Squirrel," the object of his desires. This is due to Oates' extremely human portrayal of this horrible indivi! ! dual, which does not leave a taste of evil in the mouths of the readers, but rather a feeling of pity and even, as difficult as it is to admit, encouragement. You can decide what this implies of the readers, the author, and society in general.

A very important aspect of the story is the influence of Quentin's father (a learned science professor) upon his psyche. Their relationship is detailed by Oates' representation of the character: a man who obviously cares for his son but is extremely detached due to a lack of emotion and affection. One easily implies that this is a very powerful catalyst to Quentin's actions towards securing his Zombie - a person that will "love" him unconditionally as well as satisfy his sexual desires.

Rating:
Summary: an intelligent study of the disturbed
Review: always the author who plunges into the darker aspects of middle-american life, joyce carol oates chose jeffrey dahmer as the subject of her novel "Zombie." her novels and short stories tend to sordidly dig into the dark psychological turmoils of those who live in a "normal" household.

to oates, dahmer could not have been a better subject on which to base a novel. he was from a typical family and spent most of his childhood living in smaller ohio towns. oates manages to successfully show the transformation from troubled boy to serial killer. this is a superb book if anyone cares more to learn about the psychological churnings inside a serial killer's mind than to learn about the tabloid details of dahmer.

oates subtly shows america its own scars (particularly in the aspect of sexuality) in "Zombie." she attempts to show our poisons and how this can affect an unstable boy into becoming a man that we fear, a man one would label "a monster," as we tend to over-simplify. however, oates makes it clear that there are no monsters, only products of a dying society.

definitely one of her better novels, "Zombie" urges the reader to re-think about the ways american society works. "Zombie" also helps him gain a better understanding of the progression from "innocent boy" to "monster." she does this with ease, as it is obvious that oates researched psychological studies on serial killers in order to better write her novel. she understands many subtle keys which make QP (the character based on dahmer) a believable serial killer. QP obsesses over "squirrel" (the code name he has given to a young boy), who, in turn, bears striking similarities to an old love of QP. (many serial killers will stalk someone who reminds them of someone from the past. for example, ted bundy killed women who mostly resembled his fiancee.) QP's actions follow most other serial killer's M.O., down to donald j. sears' widely accepted 13 poi! nts of a serial killer. QP also seems to go through joel norris' seven phases through which serial killers pass as they murder. (for more information, i recommend "serial killers- the insatiable passion" by david lester, PhD.) in order to retain artistic integrity and keep QP a believable character, oates obviously did much research before penning her powerful novel, "Zombie."

written in oates' trademark eloquently simple, yet eerily disturbing prose, "Zombie" is definitely worth reading. it is an especially complete package with the equally simple drawings QP has created for his reader, letting him fully understand his obsessions and tantalize him with his wit.

what causes an unstable boy to become a serial killer? oates outlines many points, from sexual abuse, a feeling of unwantedness, to an over-whelming feeling of guilt and unacceptance. her character QP is believable and is not the typical paper-cut character one has grown to expect in modern novels. using QP as her puppet, oates manages to convey her theories on what psychologically induced dahmer to attempt to create his perfect zombie. it is a unique serial killer study in that it is a work of fiction, yet tells more truth than most tabloid "accounts" of dahmer.

Rating:
Summary: This is the sickest, most disturbing Oates book up to date.
Review: Based partly from the horrific case of Jeffery Dahmer, Zombie is a head shaking horror novel that makes the reader say to him/herself, "Oh, my God!" What makes this fiction the most horrible and fascinating fiction, is that it is reality based fiction, and that, if it is written with all its truthful horror, is the worst kind there is. This subject matter is a perfect additition to the Oates canon. It is a horror story right out of our national headlines that is written with such detached simplicity, that that in itself is questionable. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Precursor to 'American Psycho'?
Review: Fascinating look into a psychotic mind. A Vulcan mind-meld softened by words. (Would you want to *feel* the insanity <shudder>?) Like AMERICAN PSYCHO, this is not a book *about* a serial killer; it's a transport into the very mind of one.

QP separates his father into two entities: 'dad' and 'Professor P__.' Later, he separates *himself* into two entities. One knows nothing of what the other does. In one sentence, he refers to himself both as 'I' and as 'Q__ P__.' This allows him to completely detach from his actions. For example, he doesn't hit his victim with a crowbar; rather, the crowbar comes down and hits the victim. He does not act; the crowbar does.

His stories come out in jagged pieces: A few disembodied sentences here, more later; sometimes we never get the whole story. How can he be expected to think linearly, especially considering his odd relationship - or lack of one - with time. You see, his clock has no hands.

ZOMBIE is a book that can be read many times. Read it superficially or delve into it to your heart's content. It's one of the most intriguing books I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Precursor to 'American Psycho'?
Review: Fascinating look into a serial killer's mind. A Vulcan mind-meld softened by words. (Would you want to *feel* the insanity <shudder>?) You experience his meltdown.

He separates his father into two entities: 'dad' and 'Professor P__.' Later, he separates *himself* into two entities. One knows nothing of what the other does. In one sentence, he refers to himself both as 'I' and as 'Q__ P__.' Very convenient, as this allows him to completely detach from his actions. For example, he doesn't hit his victim with a crowbar; rather, the crowbar comes down and hits the victim. He does not act; the crowbar does.

His stories come out in jagged pieces: A few disembodied sentences here, more later; sometimes we never get the whole story. How can he be expected to think linearly, especially considering his odd relationship - or lack of one - with time. You see, his clock has no hands.

ZOMBIE is a book that can be read again and again. Read it superfically or delve into it to your heart's content. It's one of the most intriguing books I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Precursor to 'American Psycho'?
Review: Fascinating look into a serial killer's mind. A Vulcan mind-meld softened by words. (Would you want to *feel* the unsanity <shudder>?) You experience his meltdown.

He separates his father into two entities: 'dad' and 'Professor P__.' Later, he separates *himself* into two entities. One knows nothing of what the other does. In one sentence, he refers to himself both as 'I' and as 'Q__ P__.' Very convenient, as this allows him to completely detach from his actions. For example, he doesn't hit his victim with a crowbar; rather, the crowbar comes down and hits the victim. He does not act; the crowbar does.

His stories come out in jagged pieces: A few disembodied sentences here, more later; sometimes we never get the whole story. How can he be expected to think linearly, especially considering his odd relationship - or lack of one - with time. You see, his clock has no hands.

ZOMBIE is a book that can be read again and again. Read it superfically or delve into it to your heart's content. It's one of the most intriguing books I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Review of Zombie
Review: I admit the title of Joyce Carol Oates's novel predisposed me to it before I knew anything about it. The fact that it was a novel by Oates helped too, as I had enjoyed her short story titled "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?" Unfortunately these high expectations lead to a disappointment. "Zombie" is probably as close to being inside the mind of a serial killer as one could get. The question is; would you really want to get that close?
The story is told by Quentin P., a serial killer whose aspirations are very similar to Dahmer's. There are two sides to Quentin; the nice side which he shows the world, and the darker side that is in control. Quentin is a homosexual, but he keeps this fact bottled up inside. Sexual repression plays a large part in his psychosis. Quentin desires to have a sex slave or a zombie as he calls it. He wants someone who will not question him and obey his every sexual desire. Quentin has several victims and spends most of the book trying get a fifteen year old boy he calls squirrel. His victims usually die because he performs lobotomies incorrectly or because the victim panics and makes him screw up.
For me, the problem with the novel is both its story and its format. The problems with its structure are many. The chapter numbers appear indiscriminately sometimes mid-sentence. This by itself is not so bad but it is compounded by the jumbled structure of the paragraphs themselves. There are many occasions where random words will have all of their letters in upper case. Only the first letter in character's names is given. The font changes indiscriminately and often. The whole thing ends up reading like endless ramblings. This is probably the intention of the writer but it is hard to become involved in such a story. The content is very graphic and is definitely not for younger audiences. A good example of the graphicness can be found in this statement; "...the left eye I'd gone into with the ice pick was shot and the right eye wasn't much better, rolled back in his head like it wasn't even an eye but something else.", and that is some of the milder stuff....
I really find it impossible to become involved with a character like Quentin, as I really can not identify with him. I read the novel under the assumption that it would be a horror novel, it was not. It is just serial killers ramblings. I was not scared by it, nor did play off of fears I already had. I just do not find this sort of material entertaining.