Zone One

by Colson Whitehead

The novel by Colson Whitehead is about the infected and unaffected by a plague with the book being set in Manhattan, New York. It is an interesting read of the life of Mark Spitz who is a survivor that has volunteered to be a “sweeper”. A sweeper is responsible for “sweeping” or looking for skels or stragglers,(both aka zombies). The way to become infected is through being bitten or via a scratch that the plaque can enter through.

The style of writing that Whitehead has used is interesting as it takes place over a period of three days and it gives the reader the perspective of Mark Spitz as a sweeper but there are glimpses of his past life. An interesting thought Spitz has though is that those that cling to the past are often those that end up dying. As tempting as it is, you can sense he only allows you to have small glimpses of his past life. The one I found most disturbing or sad was the image of his infected mother feasting on his father. No wonder he doesn’t want to focus on the past….survival is the focus of this sweeper and there is a feeling of just that, survive and don’t focus on what could have been…

Whitehead has placed some symbolism within the novel. The stragglers could be symbolic of the emotional and sentimental strain of humanity that died after plaque. Interestingly enough that the stragglers occupy the physical spaces that held significance for them during their living lives…like that is the comfortable place for them in their misery of being infected. The sadness of staying there until someone comes to put them out of their misery. The Buffalo Headquarters representing the want to return to civilization and corporate sponsorship. There is an overall feeling of Spitz wanting to return to the comfort that orderly systems seem to offer to human societies.

I have to say I really enjoyed: http://thezombiearchive.com/map-zombie.html

I found that the mapping system of the site really helped put into perspective where things were happening. Thanks Bethany!

Overall I found this book to be a tough read with the overwhelming amount of description in each scene. BUT I would read Whitehead’s book the Underground Train to give his writing another try…