For someone who isn’t a horror girlie, I’ve been sure reading a bunch of them. Talk about getting outside my comfort zone! But Take All of Us is heartfelt, tender, and uneasy. There is a distinct eerieness, zombielike creatures, and environmental horror. Keep reading this book review of Take All of Us for my full thoughts.
Summary
Five years ago, a parasite poisoned the water of Ian’s West Virginia hometown, turning dozens of locals into dark-eyed, oil-dripping shells of their former selves. With chronic migraines and seizures limiting his physical abilities, Ian relies on his best friend and secret crush Eric to mercy-kill any infected people they come across.
Until a new health report about the contamination triggers a mandatory government evacuation, and Ian cracks his head in the rush. Used to hospitals and health scares, Ian always thought he’d die young… but he wasn’t planning on coming back. Much less facing the slow, painful realization that Eric left him behind to die.
Desperate to confront Eric before the parasite takes over, Ian joins two others left behind—his childhood rival Monica and the jaded prepper Angel—on a journey across town. What they don’t know is that Eric is also looking for Ian, and he’s determined to mercy-kill him.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Take All of Us was described to me as “Unbury Your Gays” meets chronic health representation. While it took a bit to fully start steamrolling, once it did I was smitten. Take All of Us balances this tender love story about trying to tell the person we love, that we love them – even if we’re dead. It has this universal almost angst ridden necessity to convey these feelings if it’s the last thing we do. At the same time, it’s slowly revealing the ‘what happens next’. Because if we’re dead, is that just over?
Take All of Us also prods at the open wound of what happened, why, and will it always be a cycle that is repeated? Leif’s debut examines disability and how these characters are often forgotten in not only the horror genre, but also in these pictures of the end-of-the-world. It packs a punch in terms of the emotions which cycle through and while the ending felt rushed, it’s ultimately a book that honors the characters of the story first and foremost.
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I finished Take All of Us in a matter of days because of how swept away I was. I had some reservations about the ending and the big Aha moment, but then I realized that the core of the book are the characters. So if you want a horror book which feels light on the ‘let me tell you exactly what happened and why’, but strong on the character dynamics and relatability of the end-of-the-world feels, this is for you. Find Take All of Us on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.