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Zombie
Meet Quentin P., the most believably terrifying sexual psychopath and killer ever brought to life in fiction. The author deftly puts you inside the mind of a serial killer--succeeding not in writing about madness, but in writing with the logic of madness.
181 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
457 people are currently reading
20725 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Carol Oates
853 books9,624 followersJoyce Carol Oates is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her novels Black Water (1992), What I Lived For (1994), and Blonde (2000), and her short story collections The Wheel of Love (1970) and Lovely, Dark, Deep: Stories (2014) were each finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. She has won many awards for her writing, including the National Book Award, for her novel Them (1969), two O. Henry Awards, the National Humanities Medal, and the Jerusalem Prize (2019).
Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014, and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. From 2016 to 2020, she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught short fiction in the spring semesters. She now teaches at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Oates was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2016.
Pseudonyms: Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly.
Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014, and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. From 2016 to 2020, she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught short fiction in the spring semesters. She now teaches at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Oates was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2016.
Pseudonyms: Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,045 reviews
July 30, 2008
I HATED this book! It was excellently written and it did what it was supposed to do...it scared the crap out of me. This is a character study of a social deviant. I don't want to spoil this for anyone who reads it, so I won't give away the ending, but definitely not something you read while lying on the beach catching your tan. No escapism here. You come face to face with the evil and cunning of the sociopathic and psychotic mind. Be prepared to bathe in Dettol and then curl up in bed under the covers next to your favorite stuffed animal with your thumb in your mouth, your night light on and your mommy on the phone 'til you go to sleep when you finish reading it. Kudos to Joyce Carol Oates for what I consider a brave, realistic creepy and excellently executed foray into the criminal mind. But I still HATED it...in a good way.
February 18, 2022
A Meditation on Psycopathy
Oates reminds her readers that there are people who cannot be considered human. They lack something essential, some ‘wetware’ without which they never fit comfortably among others. This implies a scale of humanness. Some are more human than others. This is the implication of Oates’s journey inside the mind of a fictional psychopath.
Psychopathy is not something that any society confronts comfortably. These people are defective, not mad. How can they be identified? By what criteria can we make a judgment to treat them as the sub-humans that they are?
Terrorists, school-shooters, racist skinheads, violent political activists - most of these are technically sane yet something is missing. There may be understandable genetic or environmental reasons for their behaviour but the fact that they are immune to reason suggests that they cannot be considered as full members of human society.
But no one, it can be argued, is quite sure what constitutes human reason. Nonetheless, whatever it is must start from the premise that argument, that is to say language, is the tool for conducting and, with luck, resolving disputes. It is skill in the use of language, therefore, which is the distinguishing mark of the more human.
How to measure such skill? The very narrow skill of the scientist’s exposition among like-minded colleagues? The rhetorical skill of a lawyer presenting an emotional appeal to a jury? The manipulatively mendacious skill of a Trump addressing one of his populist rallies? These are all highly skilled in their way.
In fact many are so skilled in language that they can provoke precisely the inhuman behaviour that language should permit us to avoid. Their skill can promote revolution, which is necessarily violent, by using language against itself. Language does not exist on its own. It is contained and expressed in institutions - courts, professions, political parties - which have strict rules for how language can be used. Skill in employing these rules is often more important than the skill of language itself.
These institutions define the language that may be used and the reasons which are admissible in argument. The likelihood of revolution is proportional to the seriousness of the reasons excluded as invalid. Expanding the base of valid reasons in institutional argumentation has been the real achievement of liberal democracy. Anyone who seeks to reduce the reasons available for institutionalised argument (which is the equivalent of restricting democratic participation) is a psychopath.
The psychopath does not argue with reasons; he states opinions as they occur to him - particularly about institutions involving language. Giving reasons is precisely what the psychopath does not do. The psychopath has no reasons, only urges. The psychopath doesn’t want to extend the range of reasons acceptable in debate. The psychopath detests all reasons in deference to his urges.
The psychopath is frightening precisely because he has no reasons for what he does. There is no goal except the scratching of the itch that drives him. He is not a revolutionary but a nihilist who has no hesitation in destroying all institutions of language, and with those the civilisation they enact. “My whole body is a numb tongue,” says Quentin, Oates’s psychopath. His every utterance is a destructive distortion of language.
These are the thoughts that dominate my life as I anticipate the state visit of the psychopath, Donald Trump, to this green and pleasant land. Oates, it seems to me, knew the man without having met him - a creature of the slime who is something less than a human being.
Oates reminds her readers that there are people who cannot be considered human. They lack something essential, some ‘wetware’ without which they never fit comfortably among others. This implies a scale of humanness. Some are more human than others. This is the implication of Oates’s journey inside the mind of a fictional psychopath.
Psychopathy is not something that any society confronts comfortably. These people are defective, not mad. How can they be identified? By what criteria can we make a judgment to treat them as the sub-humans that they are?
Terrorists, school-shooters, racist skinheads, violent political activists - most of these are technically sane yet something is missing. There may be understandable genetic or environmental reasons for their behaviour but the fact that they are immune to reason suggests that they cannot be considered as full members of human society.
But no one, it can be argued, is quite sure what constitutes human reason. Nonetheless, whatever it is must start from the premise that argument, that is to say language, is the tool for conducting and, with luck, resolving disputes. It is skill in the use of language, therefore, which is the distinguishing mark of the more human.
How to measure such skill? The very narrow skill of the scientist’s exposition among like-minded colleagues? The rhetorical skill of a lawyer presenting an emotional appeal to a jury? The manipulatively mendacious skill of a Trump addressing one of his populist rallies? These are all highly skilled in their way.
In fact many are so skilled in language that they can provoke precisely the inhuman behaviour that language should permit us to avoid. Their skill can promote revolution, which is necessarily violent, by using language against itself. Language does not exist on its own. It is contained and expressed in institutions - courts, professions, political parties - which have strict rules for how language can be used. Skill in employing these rules is often more important than the skill of language itself.
These institutions define the language that may be used and the reasons which are admissible in argument. The likelihood of revolution is proportional to the seriousness of the reasons excluded as invalid. Expanding the base of valid reasons in institutional argumentation has been the real achievement of liberal democracy. Anyone who seeks to reduce the reasons available for institutionalised argument (which is the equivalent of restricting democratic participation) is a psychopath.
The psychopath does not argue with reasons; he states opinions as they occur to him - particularly about institutions involving language. Giving reasons is precisely what the psychopath does not do. The psychopath has no reasons, only urges. The psychopath doesn’t want to extend the range of reasons acceptable in debate. The psychopath detests all reasons in deference to his urges.
The psychopath is frightening precisely because he has no reasons for what he does. There is no goal except the scratching of the itch that drives him. He is not a revolutionary but a nihilist who has no hesitation in destroying all institutions of language, and with those the civilisation they enact. “My whole body is a numb tongue,” says Quentin, Oates’s psychopath. His every utterance is a destructive distortion of language.
These are the thoughts that dominate my life as I anticipate the state visit of the psychopath, Donald Trump, to this green and pleasant land. Oates, it seems to me, knew the man without having met him - a creature of the slime who is something less than a human being.
September 3, 2021
If you're looking for a book about Romero style living dead, look elsewhere. Nor is this a book about a certain Cranberries song that just mentioning will be stuck in your heeeeeeeeaaad… in your heeeeeeeeaaad…
No, this is a book about Jeffrey Dahmer, but not the real Jeffrey Dahmer. This fictionalized version of him named Quentin… I'm sorry Q___ P___ no, sorry back to Quentin. I apologize, the author makes the strange choice to have him use only his initials for a bit (in particular when our first person narrator refers to himself in the third person), but then has everyone just call him Quentin. It's one of many small annoying touches that adds to the greater whole of awfulness that is this book.
Yes, let's get this out of the way, this is easily my least favorite book of the year. Hell it probably makes my least favorite novels of all time list. I kept reading it after a while out of morbid curiosity (and because it was short with large print). "Will it get better?" I asked. After all, I usually only hear positive things about the author. Surely she's got a trick up her sleeve and… nope it's over.
I appreciate it usually when authors want to get a bit experimental. It should be encouraged. So I hate to be "that guy" but I guess I just have to this time. If your experiment is to write in purposely atrocious writing, perhaps it is best not to try it. This is how the book is written:
& I decided to write this REVIEW because I LIKE it when I read books & REVIEWS are pretty much what I do & it seemed like a GOOD idea & I reviewed & T___ R___ REVIEWED & then someone commented & I said & they said & I said & they said & I LIKED that they said THAT.
Yes, long run on sentences, frequent use of "&," sections that are just "I said & then he said & I said" without the dialogue and words capitalized with the intention of showing our narrator's thought process, but frequently seemed to just be randomly selected words because why the hell not? Add in a couple of references to the character being aroused (frequently… very, very frequently) and that's the book in a nutshell.
Yeah, he kills a person or two and tries to create a zombie (in this case that means lobotomized sex slave for those of you wondering about the title) but really, it's just one poorly written run on sentence after another. Yes, I know Oates writes better than this. Yes, I know it was an experiment. Frankly it was a failed one. 1/5 stars and recommended to no one.
No, this is a book about Jeffrey Dahmer, but not the real Jeffrey Dahmer. This fictionalized version of him named Quentin… I'm sorry Q___ P___ no, sorry back to Quentin. I apologize, the author makes the strange choice to have him use only his initials for a bit (in particular when our first person narrator refers to himself in the third person), but then has everyone just call him Quentin. It's one of many small annoying touches that adds to the greater whole of awfulness that is this book.
Yes, let's get this out of the way, this is easily my least favorite book of the year. Hell it probably makes my least favorite novels of all time list. I kept reading it after a while out of morbid curiosity (and because it was short with large print). "Will it get better?" I asked. After all, I usually only hear positive things about the author. Surely she's got a trick up her sleeve and… nope it's over.
I appreciate it usually when authors want to get a bit experimental. It should be encouraged. So I hate to be "that guy" but I guess I just have to this time. If your experiment is to write in purposely atrocious writing, perhaps it is best not to try it. This is how the book is written:
& I decided to write this REVIEW because I LIKE it when I read books & REVIEWS are pretty much what I do & it seemed like a GOOD idea & I reviewed & T___ R___ REVIEWED & then someone commented & I said & they said & I said & they said & I LIKED that they said THAT.
Yes, long run on sentences, frequent use of "&," sections that are just "I said & then he said & I said" without the dialogue and words capitalized with the intention of showing our narrator's thought process, but frequently seemed to just be randomly selected words because why the hell not? Add in a couple of references to the character being aroused (frequently… very, very frequently) and that's the book in a nutshell.
Yeah, he kills a person or two and tries to create a zombie (in this case that means lobotomized sex slave for those of you wondering about the title) but really, it's just one poorly written run on sentence after another. Yes, I know Oates writes better than this. Yes, I know it was an experiment. Frankly it was a failed one. 1/5 stars and recommended to no one.
March 29, 2024
Reread March 2024: Well, the review of my first read of this still applies. However, I suppose, because I knew what was going to happen, this time, I could focus on what actually did happen.
OMFG Quentin is an absolute monster, the scene where he plans, and executes the abduction of LITTLE SQUIRREL to turn him into HIS ZOMBIE, was shocking in the extreme. Joyce Carol Oates is an absolute superstar. Her mind!! She must've researched extensively what a male, sexual psychopath thinks. This was even better (is that the right word?).................okay this was even more confronting than my first read. Can I say I 'loved' it? JCO set out to do what she wanted to do.
A classic. Not for the fainthearted.
6 Stars updated rating but Handle with Care.
ps. Supplement with spooky music shooting through your headphones, preferable late at night
😬🤢🥺
--------------------------------------------------------
2021 Review
I am not quite sure what I have just read. To be sure, I was totally rivetted. I thought about this book all the time, I couldn’t wait to get back to it, I wanted to tell everyone about it. I even left it in a not-so-obvious, obvious position on a table in my office, desperately hoping someone would stop by and notice the book on the table – the exchange would go something like this:
“Oh, Zombie what’s that all about Mark?”
“Well, I’m glad you asked *insert name* - but GOSH, I didn’t mean to leave it lying around. How long do you have to spare? One, two, three hours - all day?”
Then I could bang on incessantly about the story – uninterrupted, of course.
Alas, this never happened and probably that’s a good thing. The subject matter in this book is not appropriate to discuss in detail in any workplace with or without a Code of Conduct, in many ways I felt it was inappropriate to read, and worse still, to be enjoyed. Yes, I almost felt guilty enjoying this. But enjoy it I did!
Yes, enjoyment is the right word – so is shocked, disturbed, rattled, and revolted.
This is a nasty story about a revolting character called Quentin. A serial killer. The magnificent Joyce Carol Oates takes us into the mind of this twisted young bloke. How often does one get a chance to vicariously experience the life and thoughts of a psychopath? The first-person view of Quentin, of course, makes the whole thing more personal, more vivid, visceral. There’s no need to provide quotes, or even describe what Quentin gets up to. But if you are in two minds about picking this one up, have a think about it, and then pick it anyway – I’d love to read the thoughts of my GR mates.
JCO is prolific and her wide-ranging repertoire is almost too diverse to believe. This story is certainly one of her more extreme efforts (I assume). I will always remember this one, I will even re-read it, as I have my own carbon-based copy placidly sitting in my bookcase, looking as peaceful, inert and inoffensive as all of my other books. Oh my.
5-Stars
Thanks for the recommendation Robin :)
OMFG Quentin is an absolute monster, the scene where he plans, and executes the abduction of LITTLE SQUIRREL to turn him into HIS ZOMBIE, was shocking in the extreme. Joyce Carol Oates is an absolute superstar. Her mind!! She must've researched extensively what a male, sexual psychopath thinks. This was even better (is that the right word?).................okay this was even more confronting than my first read. Can I say I 'loved' it? JCO set out to do what she wanted to do.
A classic. Not for the fainthearted.
6 Stars updated rating but Handle with Care.
ps. Supplement with spooky music shooting through your headphones, preferable late at night
😬🤢🥺
--------------------------------------------------------
2021 Review
I am not quite sure what I have just read. To be sure, I was totally rivetted. I thought about this book all the time, I couldn’t wait to get back to it, I wanted to tell everyone about it. I even left it in a not-so-obvious, obvious position on a table in my office, desperately hoping someone would stop by and notice the book on the table – the exchange would go something like this:
“Oh, Zombie what’s that all about Mark?”
“Well, I’m glad you asked *insert name* - but GOSH, I didn’t mean to leave it lying around. How long do you have to spare? One, two, three hours - all day?”
Then I could bang on incessantly about the story – uninterrupted, of course.
Alas, this never happened and probably that’s a good thing. The subject matter in this book is not appropriate to discuss in detail in any workplace with or without a Code of Conduct, in many ways I felt it was inappropriate to read, and worse still, to be enjoyed. Yes, I almost felt guilty enjoying this. But enjoy it I did!
Yes, enjoyment is the right word – so is shocked, disturbed, rattled, and revolted.
This is a nasty story about a revolting character called Quentin. A serial killer. The magnificent Joyce Carol Oates takes us into the mind of this twisted young bloke. How often does one get a chance to vicariously experience the life and thoughts of a psychopath? The first-person view of Quentin, of course, makes the whole thing more personal, more vivid, visceral. There’s no need to provide quotes, or even describe what Quentin gets up to. But if you are in two minds about picking this one up, have a think about it, and then pick it anyway – I’d love to read the thoughts of my GR mates.
JCO is prolific and her wide-ranging repertoire is almost too diverse to believe. This story is certainly one of her more extreme efforts (I assume). I will always remember this one, I will even re-read it, as I have my own carbon-based copy placidly sitting in my bookcase, looking as peaceful, inert and inoffensive as all of my other books. Oh my.
5-Stars
Thanks for the recommendation Robin :)
May 27, 2013
This fairly wretched novel is JCO shooting dead boys in a barrel. I dunno, it seems like taking the easy option to me - you takes your Jeffrey Dahmer (you remember him, he was a lonely boy who wanted a gay sex pet to do his every bidding, and he read a book on brain surgery and he thought that if you drilled the right hole in a man's head it would stop him from realising you were a dangerous psycho and leaving, so he practised on a few guys who unfortunately like died which was not Jeffrey's intention, but he was practising, you can't get these things right first time - okay, okay, I know this hobby of Jeffrey's is probably politically incorrect but he was a boy with problems) - anyway, Joyce takes Jeffrey and renames him Quentin, rearranges a few details, adds plenty of stuff which wouldn't have got into the papers (Quentin does his DIY drilling, Quentin mucks about with his deceased boyfriends, Quentin gets in a towering rage with them because they die too quick and don't co-operate at all, yes, a bit sick, true, but only .5 on the American Psycho scale) and then writes the whole thing like it's Quentin's semiliterate journal full of VERY ANGRY CAPITALS and zany punctuation and endearing little hand drawings (how to drill your zombie correctly). Now then, I've read "What I Lived For" and I know Joyce Carol Oates can write like a living goddess so that means she can churn out this Zombie kind of stuff before she's finished her morning muesli. I think someone must have drilled a hole in Joyce's head.
July 31, 2017
A ruthless, blindingly-ugly, revealing character study of a sexual psychopath.
Joyce Carol Oates, I now officially forgive you for the tedium of We Were the Mulvaneys. This book was all that Mulvaneys was NOT - brilliantly written, brave, and (maybe most importantly) brief.
It became clear to me after reading this book that Quentin P is based at least loosely on real life serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, which is interesting from a historical perspective. But I enjoyed reading this being clueless about that background.
I was immediately pulled into this story because the voice of Quentin, the main character / freak-of-nature is so strong and believable. We are privy to his journal in which capital letters abound as well as ampersands (no "and" can be found anywhere in these 181 pages). He also includes creepy drawings of eyes, ice picks, even a do-it-yourself-lobotomy-diagram. He describes his depraved desires to turn a human being into his own personal ZOMBIE, who would passively and mindlessly do his bidding, in a shocking, twisted narrative. Oates goes where few people would. She spares no one, some parts almost too sick for even me to read. There is no safe place to rest in this novella, no respite, no mercy. No mercy, perhaps, until you close the book, and find that you are secure in your own killer-free existence, with comfortable things like morals and conscience floating around nearby.
But therein lays the brilliance. She captures the character's mind with razor sharp accuracy, brings you there for just as long as you can stand, then sets you free.
Joyce Carol Oates, I now officially forgive you for the tedium of We Were the Mulvaneys. This book was all that Mulvaneys was NOT - brilliantly written, brave, and (maybe most importantly) brief.
It became clear to me after reading this book that Quentin P is based at least loosely on real life serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, which is interesting from a historical perspective. But I enjoyed reading this being clueless about that background.
I was immediately pulled into this story because the voice of Quentin, the main character / freak-of-nature is so strong and believable. We are privy to his journal in which capital letters abound as well as ampersands (no "and" can be found anywhere in these 181 pages). He also includes creepy drawings of eyes, ice picks, even a do-it-yourself-lobotomy-diagram. He describes his depraved desires to turn a human being into his own personal ZOMBIE, who would passively and mindlessly do his bidding, in a shocking, twisted narrative. Oates goes where few people would. She spares no one, some parts almost too sick for even me to read. There is no safe place to rest in this novella, no respite, no mercy. No mercy, perhaps, until you close the book, and find that you are secure in your own killer-free existence, with comfortable things like morals and conscience floating around nearby.
But therein lays the brilliance. She captures the character's mind with razor sharp accuracy, brings you there for just as long as you can stand, then sets you free.
May 15, 2009
Damn, Joyce, I didn't know you rolled like that.
August 23, 2023
This book felt like a piece of evil popped up straight from hell! I had no idea that I had voluntarily chosen to look into the mind of a psychopathic serial killer in such an intimate way. I have no idea how Joyce Carol Oates managed to do it, but she did it in most convincing way and it scared the hell out of me.
You wonder how Joyce Carol Oates could possibly present the horrific acts of such a truly scary sexual psychopath in such an intimate (seemingly rational) way and this certainly includes the disturbing little drawings of tools used which were inserted in the text here and there. I really do not know whether to admire the book or feel disturbed about her writing it because it is the most scary novel I ever read! Is that a compliment? I can’t possibly say. But, yes, it proves that Joyce Carol Oates is a unique author and I have no choice to admire her gusts for writing this book.
You wonder how Joyce Carol Oates could possibly present the horrific acts of such a truly scary sexual psychopath in such an intimate (seemingly rational) way and this certainly includes the disturbing little drawings of tools used which were inserted in the text here and there. I really do not know whether to admire the book or feel disturbed about her writing it because it is the most scary novel I ever read! Is that a compliment? I can’t possibly say. But, yes, it proves that Joyce Carol Oates is a unique author and I have no choice to admire her gusts for writing this book.
August 4, 2017
Short, dark, and very scary - like a tipsy 2am Uber ride home that instead drags you into macabre neighborhoods and makes you question exactly what your ultimate payment will be (and maybe whether somebody slipped a touch of rohypnol in your margarita). Things are OFF. Way OFF.
So. You up for being freaked out and mesmerized for 200 pages?? Do yourself a favor and do NOT read the publisher's blurb or other reviews.
I walked into this book entirely blind and assumed because of the title that I'd see dead people a la World War Z. The only reason I read it was that a trusted GR friend wanted to do a buddy read. I really don't like dystopian books or vampires or zombies, but doing one of those type books by this author? OMG. There is no way I'd do that voluntarily. Robin - it was only our friendship that made me agree.
Boy, was I wrong! I am a total idiot (which you possibly already knew). The only title I was able to associate with Joyce Carol Oates was 'We Were the Mulvaneys,' a book I've never read but somehow pre-judged as a warm, family relationship fest that was far too milk-n-honey for me to take interest. I had no CLUE she was a HORROR writer and also was nominated for a Pulitzer.
Better than that, there is not a single walking dead person in the entire book. No dystopian plague or exorcists in sight. The book puts you in the shoes of a reprehensible character, and because some of the events in his life seem like they were inspired by true events. the reader gawks on - wondering how much of this story line might be real. Because, friends, it is VERY realistic!
October and Halloween are coming up, and while this is a short book, it is so disturbingly creepy that 200 pages is plenty. No rohypnol will allow me to forget ZOMBIE. Excellent and on my Favorites shelf.
_______________________
"Joyce Carol Oates is not only one of the most acclaimed authors of our time—her more-than-forty novels, novellas, plays, short stories, poetry, and nonfiction works have earned her a National Book Award, two O. Henry Awards, the National Humanities Medal, and a Pulitzer Prize nomination—but she’s also an acclaimed horror and suspense author who is a multiple winner of the Bram Stoker Award, a recipient of the World Fantasy Award, and the first female author to receive the Horror Writers Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her genre works include the novel Zombie (1995), the short story collections The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares (2011) and Black Dahlia & White Rose (2012), and, under the pseudonym Rosamond Smith, Starr Bright Will Be With You Soon (1999). She also edited American Gothic Tales (1996) and Tales of H. P. Lovecraft (2007). This year she retires from Princeton University, where she’s been teaching since 1978. - Lisa Morton, 2014 Interview
So. You up for being freaked out and mesmerized for 200 pages?? Do yourself a favor and do NOT read the publisher's blurb or other reviews.
I walked into this book entirely blind and assumed because of the title that I'd see dead people a la World War Z. The only reason I read it was that a trusted GR friend wanted to do a buddy read. I really don't like dystopian books or vampires or zombies, but doing one of those type books by this author? OMG. There is no way I'd do that voluntarily. Robin - it was only our friendship that made me agree.
Boy, was I wrong! I am a total idiot (which you possibly already knew). The only title I was able to associate with Joyce Carol Oates was 'We Were the Mulvaneys,' a book I've never read but somehow pre-judged as a warm, family relationship fest that was far too milk-n-honey for me to take interest. I had no CLUE she was a HORROR writer and also was nominated for a Pulitzer.
Better than that, there is not a single walking dead person in the entire book. No dystopian plague or exorcists in sight. The book puts you in the shoes of a reprehensible character, and because some of the events in his life seem like they were inspired by true events. the reader gawks on - wondering how much of this story line might be real. Because, friends, it is VERY realistic!
October and Halloween are coming up, and while this is a short book, it is so disturbingly creepy that 200 pages is plenty. No rohypnol will allow me to forget ZOMBIE. Excellent and on my Favorites shelf.
_______________________
"Joyce Carol Oates is not only one of the most acclaimed authors of our time—her more-than-forty novels, novellas, plays, short stories, poetry, and nonfiction works have earned her a National Book Award, two O. Henry Awards, the National Humanities Medal, and a Pulitzer Prize nomination—but she’s also an acclaimed horror and suspense author who is a multiple winner of the Bram Stoker Award, a recipient of the World Fantasy Award, and the first female author to receive the Horror Writers Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her genre works include the novel Zombie (1995), the short story collections The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares (2011) and Black Dahlia & White Rose (2012), and, under the pseudonym Rosamond Smith, Starr Bright Will Be With You Soon (1999). She also edited American Gothic Tales (1996) and Tales of H. P. Lovecraft (2007). This year she retires from Princeton University, where she’s been teaching since 1978. - Lisa Morton, 2014 Interview
February 27, 2022
Ever wonder what goes through the mind of a sexual psychopath like Jeffrey Dahmer?
Well, Joyce Carol Oates’s Zombie will show you – in a grisly, uncompromising and at times revolting fashion.
The book’s protagonist is a 31-year-old Dahmer-like character named Quentin P, who lives in the Midwest and is currently on probation for a sex crime he committed earlier, and, in between visits to his probation officer, psychiatrist and therapy group manages to find more victims and do terrible, terrible things to them.
He comes from a nice, seemingly normal family, but he’s learned how to convince everyone he’s doing fine, attending community college and working as a caretaker at a building his grandmother owns.
Between his banal daily activities, he recounts his killings in an almost offhand fashion, illustrating his stories with drawings. He’s savvy enough to know that if he chooses his victims among hitchhikers or men of colour, there won’t be a lot of people looking for them if they go missing – a horrific thought. But then he becomes obsessed with an attractive, upper-middle-class white kid, and the final third of the book consists of Quentin stalking him and figuring out a way to capture him to make him his personal zombie.
Oh yeah, the title. It’s gross. Quentin wants to use an icepick to basically give his victims lobotomies so he can keep them alive as his sexual slaves.
I told you this was disturbing.
This is the third Oates novel I’ve read, and I’ve got to admit she doesn’t hold back. She understands Quentin’s dissociative identity, all his ticks, urges, rationalizations, setbacks and victories. She doesn’t condone who or what he is, but she doesn’t pass judgement, either. She provides enough clues to his history and behaviour to let us understand him in a way that he doesn’t himself.
In fact, as Quentin plans his big capture, Oates actually generates sympathy for him. You’re almost rooting for him to succeed.
Which is some kind of sick literary miracle.
Well, Joyce Carol Oates’s Zombie will show you – in a grisly, uncompromising and at times revolting fashion.
The book’s protagonist is a 31-year-old Dahmer-like character named Quentin P, who lives in the Midwest and is currently on probation for a sex crime he committed earlier, and, in between visits to his probation officer, psychiatrist and therapy group manages to find more victims and do terrible, terrible things to them.
He comes from a nice, seemingly normal family, but he’s learned how to convince everyone he’s doing fine, attending community college and working as a caretaker at a building his grandmother owns.
Between his banal daily activities, he recounts his killings in an almost offhand fashion, illustrating his stories with drawings. He’s savvy enough to know that if he chooses his victims among hitchhikers or men of colour, there won’t be a lot of people looking for them if they go missing – a horrific thought. But then he becomes obsessed with an attractive, upper-middle-class white kid, and the final third of the book consists of Quentin stalking him and figuring out a way to capture him to make him his personal zombie.
Oh yeah, the title. It’s gross. Quentin wants to use an icepick to basically give his victims lobotomies so he can keep them alive as his sexual slaves.
I told you this was disturbing.
This is the third Oates novel I’ve read, and I’ve got to admit she doesn’t hold back. She understands Quentin’s dissociative identity, all his ticks, urges, rationalizations, setbacks and victories. She doesn’t condone who or what he is, but she doesn’t pass judgement, either. She provides enough clues to his history and behaviour to let us understand him in a way that he doesn’t himself.
In fact, as Quentin plans his big capture, Oates actually generates sympathy for him. You’re almost rooting for him to succeed.
Which is some kind of sick literary miracle.
October 28, 2023
3,5
Hace un tiempo le pegué una relectura para terminar de organizar algunas ideas (y porque estaba armando algo relacionado a Jeffrey Dahmer), y, tras ponerle cierta atención, me dí cuenta que fui un poco dura con mis comentarios iniciales sobre el libro. Quizá porque tenía demasiadas expectativas puestas en algo que me volara el cerebro de lo original, y esta novela no apela necesariamente a ser una historia 100% original, sino a retratar un poco la vida de un monstruo de la vida real. Las descripciones son realmente gráficas y aterradoras. Aunque sí sigo sosteniendo que, por momentos, puede ser un poco monótona. La pluma de Oates me sigue pareciendo hermosa, y sin duda voy a ir por más de la autora.
Hace un tiempo le pegué una relectura para terminar de organizar algunas ideas (y porque estaba armando algo relacionado a Jeffrey Dahmer), y, tras ponerle cierta atención, me dí cuenta que fui un poco dura con mis comentarios iniciales sobre el libro. Quizá porque tenía demasiadas expectativas puestas en algo que me volara el cerebro de lo original, y esta novela no apela necesariamente a ser una historia 100% original, sino a retratar un poco la vida de un monstruo de la vida real. Las descripciones son realmente gráficas y aterradoras. Aunque sí sigo sosteniendo que, por momentos, puede ser un poco monótona. La pluma de Oates me sigue pareciendo hermosa, y sin duda voy a ir por más de la autora.
Read
November 10, 2019How to Avoid Being Bourgeois
This is not terrifying or "monstrous," and it is not a shocking revelation. It does not take us "into the mind of a serial killer." It is not "harrowing," and it's not "disturbing."
It is a strained and earnest attempt to imagine the kind of life that would decisively overturn bourgeois values. But it doesn't do that, because the imagining of the Other is already part of middle-class American life. Even the most surprising lines pale as soon as they're read, because it becomes clear they're imagined by a novelist, working in an upper-middle class suburb, with the help of years of research into serial killers.
If Oates really wants to write outside of modern middle class America, she should write like Roussel or Bernhard. Those are two different examples, but they share two crucial traits that show how awkward and artificial "Zombie" is: first, they're decisively outside bourgeois values (their characters are the real psychotics, the ones who really don't care about the social fabric); and second, they don't have to work so hard, with every line and image, trying to break out of normalcy. They are already irreparably abnormal.
It's not that easy to write outside middle-class values. I wrote essentially the same review about Osamu Dazai's "No Longer Human." From this point of view gestures of anarchy and pessimism (in popular culture: Chuck Palahniuk, Christpher Nolan, and more recently Todd Phillips) are tropes of the destruction of self imagined within first-world middle class culture. A single line of Roussel is stranger than anything in Oates.
This is not terrifying or "monstrous," and it is not a shocking revelation. It does not take us "into the mind of a serial killer." It is not "harrowing," and it's not "disturbing."
It is a strained and earnest attempt to imagine the kind of life that would decisively overturn bourgeois values. But it doesn't do that, because the imagining of the Other is already part of middle-class American life. Even the most surprising lines pale as soon as they're read, because it becomes clear they're imagined by a novelist, working in an upper-middle class suburb, with the help of years of research into serial killers.
If Oates really wants to write outside of modern middle class America, she should write like Roussel or Bernhard. Those are two different examples, but they share two crucial traits that show how awkward and artificial "Zombie" is: first, they're decisively outside bourgeois values (their characters are the real psychotics, the ones who really don't care about the social fabric); and second, they don't have to work so hard, with every line and image, trying to break out of normalcy. They are already irreparably abnormal.
It's not that easy to write outside middle-class values. I wrote essentially the same review about Osamu Dazai's "No Longer Human." From this point of view gestures of anarchy and pessimism (in popular culture: Chuck Palahniuk, Christpher Nolan, and more recently Todd Phillips) are tropes of the destruction of self imagined within first-world middle class culture. A single line of Roussel is stranger than anything in Oates.
April 17, 2022
2.5 Stars
This book is often cited as one of the most disturbing books people have ever read. Needless to say, I've been dying to read the one for myself. I can understand how the fragmented prose might create a creepy experience for some readers, but the narrative style just did not work for me. I'm very disappointed.
This book is often cited as one of the most disturbing books people have ever read. Needless to say, I've been dying to read the one for myself. I can understand how the fragmented prose might create a creepy experience for some readers, but the narrative style just did not work for me. I'm very disappointed.
July 29, 2024
4.25 ⭐️ (rnd ⬆️) — Having somehow only recently read the incredible short-story this novel was born of, Zombie was a read I was trepidatious about taking on, for fear of ruining that nye-on-perfect short story.. But despite some elision driven moments I felt left the work short of the epic it could’ve been, this was indeed a great book, that’s filled by such fertile enmity and dark energy, it’ll creep into your dreams should you read it anywhere at all in the PM!!! I needed a few weeks post-completion to compose this review, as writing it right after would’ve been at risk of being influenced by the character and allusions of the work itself.
Joyce Carol Oates' ‘Zombie’ is a chilling, languid & meticulously crafted psychological thriller that delves into the mind of a sociopathic killer, named Quentin P. The novel, openly inspired by the real-life horrors of Jeffrey Dahmer, offers an unsettling yet compelling glimpse into the darkest corners of human nature, offering fascinating temerity that can feel illimitable throughout. (Reading this in 7-10p blocks with solid gaps in-between reading classics and Wendig’s Wanderers was a decision I feel so good about, I shared it)
Oates' portrayal of the deeply troubled, diffident character of Quentin is itself disturbingly intimate, narrated through his own fragmented & obsessively erudite thoughts. The stream-of-consciousness style immersed me in Quentin's warped psyche, making for a read that is both captivating & deeply uncomfortable, in a very personal, eery way. Oates' writing is as sharp & precise as ever, capturing Quentin's descent into madness with unnerving clarity. Her use of language within structure effectively mirrors the protagonist's chaotic mind, making ‘Zombie’ a genuinely terrifying lesson in psychological horror.
What sets this novel apart is Oates' ability to quite regularly humanise a monstrous character without ever so
Much as attempting to be seen to be justifying his actions. Quentin's meticulous planning, his rationalisations, and his chillingly blunt lack of empathy are presented in such a way that I - and one imagines many readers - almost begin to if not understand, at least interpret his twisted logic, which makes his actions even more horrifying. Oates doesn't shy away from the gruesome details, yet she handles them with a literary finesse that avoids gratuitousness, always managing to use her literary talents to reel things in and use what’s not being said.
The novel's pacing is relentless, pulling readers deeper into Quentin's world with each page. The tension is palpable, and Oates masterfully maintains it throughout the book. However, this intensity can also be a double-edged sword. At times, the sheer darkness of Quentin's thoughts & behaviour can be overwhelming, potentially alienating some readers. This is not a story for the faint of heart, but for those who can stomach it, ‘Zombie’ offers a profoundly disturbing yet impulsively fascinating exploration of a warped & broken mind.
While the novel may not appeal to everyone due to its rather grim subject matter, and its source material, it is undeniably a powerful work of fiction, this is not up for debate. Joyce Carol Oates proves once again why she is one of the most versatile & talented writers of our time. Her ability to delve into the human psyche & systematically expose its most terrifying aspects is both a gift & a curse, making ‘Zombie’ a novel that will linger in your thoughts many nights after you've turned the last page.
Sure, there are some challenging passages that seem to omit quite a lot of some of the more exploratory roads and other perspectives, but it is a choice the author has made as opposed to being missed, it’s simply omitted — surprising given the feminist stylings often seen elsewhere, but it’s not something I believed was required politically, I’m talking purely narratively. So does the work need to more empathetic avenues even if it just to alter the course of the narrative for a moment? Sure — but who am I to argue with JCO?!?!
This work is just a masterfully written, deeply unsettling psychological thriller that showcases Joyce Carol Oates' exceptional talent & her ability to peer into the psyche of anyone she so chooses. It’s a dark, intense, & thought-provoking read that earns its solid four stars. Having just found out in a review of her latest work ‘Butcher’ that she is 85 years young — It is clear Joyce Carol Oates is a true literary goddess that has earned a very comfy seat in the modern literary canon’s HOF 🏆…
(Finally — this Work being rated a 3.22 or whatever it is, is just far too low considering the volume of reviews and ratings, this work is better than most of the 3.5-3.8 books on GR, just saying — this is another reason I round this up to a 5⭐️ after beginning as a 3.75 — Absolutely Criminal!!!)
A Favourite Passage: 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
“Dad’s eyes, behind his shiny glasses. Looking at me like when I was two years old & squatting on the bathroom floor shitting & when I was five years old playing with my baby dick & when I was seven years old & my T-shirt splotched with another kid's nosebleed & when I was eleven home from the pool where my friend Barry drowned & most fierce Dad’s eyes when I was twelve years old that time Dad charged upstairs with the Body Builder magazines shaking in his hand.”
- Quentin at his most innocent 😇 haha
Joyce Carol Oates' ‘Zombie’ is a chilling, languid & meticulously crafted psychological thriller that delves into the mind of a sociopathic killer, named Quentin P. The novel, openly inspired by the real-life horrors of Jeffrey Dahmer, offers an unsettling yet compelling glimpse into the darkest corners of human nature, offering fascinating temerity that can feel illimitable throughout. (Reading this in 7-10p blocks with solid gaps in-between reading classics and Wendig’s Wanderers was a decision I feel so good about, I shared it)
Oates' portrayal of the deeply troubled, diffident character of Quentin is itself disturbingly intimate, narrated through his own fragmented & obsessively erudite thoughts. The stream-of-consciousness style immersed me in Quentin's warped psyche, making for a read that is both captivating & deeply uncomfortable, in a very personal, eery way. Oates' writing is as sharp & precise as ever, capturing Quentin's descent into madness with unnerving clarity. Her use of language within structure effectively mirrors the protagonist's chaotic mind, making ‘Zombie’ a genuinely terrifying lesson in psychological horror.
What sets this novel apart is Oates' ability to quite regularly humanise a monstrous character without ever so
Much as attempting to be seen to be justifying his actions. Quentin's meticulous planning, his rationalisations, and his chillingly blunt lack of empathy are presented in such a way that I - and one imagines many readers - almost begin to if not understand, at least interpret his twisted logic, which makes his actions even more horrifying. Oates doesn't shy away from the gruesome details, yet she handles them with a literary finesse that avoids gratuitousness, always managing to use her literary talents to reel things in and use what’s not being said.
The novel's pacing is relentless, pulling readers deeper into Quentin's world with each page. The tension is palpable, and Oates masterfully maintains it throughout the book. However, this intensity can also be a double-edged sword. At times, the sheer darkness of Quentin's thoughts & behaviour can be overwhelming, potentially alienating some readers. This is not a story for the faint of heart, but for those who can stomach it, ‘Zombie’ offers a profoundly disturbing yet impulsively fascinating exploration of a warped & broken mind.
While the novel may not appeal to everyone due to its rather grim subject matter, and its source material, it is undeniably a powerful work of fiction, this is not up for debate. Joyce Carol Oates proves once again why she is one of the most versatile & talented writers of our time. Her ability to delve into the human psyche & systematically expose its most terrifying aspects is both a gift & a curse, making ‘Zombie’ a novel that will linger in your thoughts many nights after you've turned the last page.
Sure, there are some challenging passages that seem to omit quite a lot of some of the more exploratory roads and other perspectives, but it is a choice the author has made as opposed to being missed, it’s simply omitted — surprising given the feminist stylings often seen elsewhere, but it’s not something I believed was required politically, I’m talking purely narratively. So does the work need to more empathetic avenues even if it just to alter the course of the narrative for a moment? Sure — but who am I to argue with JCO?!?!
This work is just a masterfully written, deeply unsettling psychological thriller that showcases Joyce Carol Oates' exceptional talent & her ability to peer into the psyche of anyone she so chooses. It’s a dark, intense, & thought-provoking read that earns its solid four stars. Having just found out in a review of her latest work ‘Butcher’ that she is 85 years young — It is clear Joyce Carol Oates is a true literary goddess that has earned a very comfy seat in the modern literary canon’s HOF 🏆…
(Finally — this Work being rated a 3.22 or whatever it is, is just far too low considering the volume of reviews and ratings, this work is better than most of the 3.5-3.8 books on GR, just saying — this is another reason I round this up to a 5⭐️ after beginning as a 3.75 — Absolutely Criminal!!!)
A Favourite Passage: 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
“Dad’s eyes, behind his shiny glasses. Looking at me like when I was two years old & squatting on the bathroom floor shitting & when I was five years old playing with my baby dick & when I was seven years old & my T-shirt splotched with another kid's nosebleed & when I was eleven home from the pool where my friend Barry drowned & most fierce Dad’s eyes when I was twelve years old that time Dad charged upstairs with the Body Builder magazines shaking in his hand.”
- Quentin at his most innocent 😇 haha
July 27, 2015
I generally like Oates's dark fiction (her short stories are particularly good), but I chose not to finish this one. I'd meant to read Zombie for a long time, and was disappointed to find it utterly repulsive when I finally got around to it . . . but not in the way you might imagine.
I thought I knew what I was getting into when I picked up a book told from the POV of a sexually depraved serial killer dabbling in icepick lobotomies. (Browse my library and you'll see it takes a lot more than that to put me off my feed.) I guess I imagined that Oates of all people would be able to tap that "nothing human is alien" vein, and give the reader some interesting insights into her narrator's disturbing psychology.
Unfortunately, what the reader gets instead is the raving-yet-vacuous diary of an emotionally stunted, sexually-obsessed sociopath who frequently WRITES IN ALL CAPS to add emphasis. He also draws cute pictures of his potential victims to accompany his "romantic" fantasies. (Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised to find he carries his tools in a Hello Kitty backpack.) What's really repulsive is that "Q_P_" (as he self-identifies) may just be the most vapid serial killer of all time. Maybe the novel ends with a stunning flourish, but here's one reader who simply got tired of spending any more time in such unscintillating company.
To sum up, my disappointment with Zombie has nothing to do with its graphic nature, and everything to do with the fact that its protagonist is not only unlikeable but as banal as an adolescent girl with a crush. I know Oates can write beautifully, so what's the point of writing badly in this case? If you really want to get inside a serial killer's head, might I suggest spending the time with Patrick Bateman in Brett Easton Elllis's far superior and pitch-black funny American Psycho instead?
I thought I knew what I was getting into when I picked up a book told from the POV of a sexually depraved serial killer dabbling in icepick lobotomies. (Browse my library and you'll see it takes a lot more than that to put me off my feed.) I guess I imagined that Oates of all people would be able to tap that "nothing human is alien" vein, and give the reader some interesting insights into her narrator's disturbing psychology.
Unfortunately, what the reader gets instead is the raving-yet-vacuous diary of an emotionally stunted, sexually-obsessed sociopath who frequently WRITES IN ALL CAPS to add emphasis. He also draws cute pictures of his potential victims to accompany his "romantic" fantasies. (Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised to find he carries his tools in a Hello Kitty backpack.) What's really repulsive is that "Q_P_" (as he self-identifies) may just be the most vapid serial killer of all time. Maybe the novel ends with a stunning flourish, but here's one reader who simply got tired of spending any more time in such unscintillating company.
To sum up, my disappointment with Zombie has nothing to do with its graphic nature, and everything to do with the fact that its protagonist is not only unlikeable but as banal as an adolescent girl with a crush. I know Oates can write beautifully, so what's the point of writing badly in this case? If you really want to get inside a serial killer's head, might I suggest spending the time with Patrick Bateman in Brett Easton Elllis's far superior and pitch-black funny American Psycho instead?
February 22, 2019
”& ONE TWO THREE hard jolts into the boy’s scrotum & moaning & his own eyes lurching in his head he came, & came, & came. & there was a blackout of how many seconds, or minutes, he did not know. & laying upon the boy shuddering & trying to calm his heart. I love you, don’t make me hurt you. Love love love you!”
Though a dark streak runs through all of Joyce Carol Oates’s work, in Zombie that streak is not a streak at all, but a deep bleeding gash. Oates, with hesitation or remorse, drowns the reader in the thoughts and feelings of a serial killer a’la Jeffrey Dahmer, via first-person narration. The result is an unflinching, uncomfortable slicing of the jugular vein.
This book is not “enjoyable.” It is not light reading; it is unfit for the airplane or park. It is a highly unsettling plunge into hell itself, and the rationale of the killer’s mind. Thankfully it is no longer than it is — I am not sure I could have handled more. JCO knows just what to give her readers; she knows when enough is enough.
And so, though I was put off by it, and though I was repulsed by it, I must give Zombie five stars. This author is a master of her craft . . . . as if we did not know that.
Though a dark streak runs through all of Joyce Carol Oates’s work, in Zombie that streak is not a streak at all, but a deep bleeding gash. Oates, with hesitation or remorse, drowns the reader in the thoughts and feelings of a serial killer a’la Jeffrey Dahmer, via first-person narration. The result is an unflinching, uncomfortable slicing of the jugular vein.
This book is not “enjoyable.” It is not light reading; it is unfit for the airplane or park. It is a highly unsettling plunge into hell itself, and the rationale of the killer’s mind. Thankfully it is no longer than it is — I am not sure I could have handled more. JCO knows just what to give her readers; she knows when enough is enough.
And so, though I was put off by it, and though I was repulsed by it, I must give Zombie five stars. This author is a master of her craft . . . . as if we did not know that.
October 26, 2021
Quentin P. está en libertad condicional a causa de una agresión racial, pero lo que se esconde detrás de este hombre, en apariencia tierno y ojito derecho de su atenta abuela, va mucho más allá. Quetin es un depravado sexual, un asesino en serie que se excita violando y asesinado a hombres. Por si fuera poco, Quentin P, tiene un sueño, quiere convertir a una de sus víctimas en un zombi sin voluntad propia, que lo obedezca en todo. Como una especie de Dr. Frankenstein, pero incluso más perverso.
No os voy a engañar, es una de las historias más desagradables que he leído nunca. Terrorífico sería decir poco. Y no solo por el hecho de que constantemente aparezcan escenas violentas y crueles que te revuelven el estómago, que también, sino que el hecho de meterse en la piel de un psicópata a estos niveles, que narra su historia en primera persona, resulta una experiencia totalmente incómoda y angustiante. Y eso, pese a todo lo mal que me lo ha hecho pasar, es un mérito.
La atmósfera tensa durante toda la novela, y es curiosa la sensación de detestar al protagonista narrador, mientras deseas salvar a sus víctimas. Sufres porque sabes lo que se viene, y no quieres. Creo que hay un trabajo importante detrás a la hora de plasmar la mente de un asesino de tal calibre y que resulte creíble y realista, pese a sus perversos actos. Esa diferencia entre lo que decía y lo que pensaba, ese punto de manipulación, está muy bien conseguido.
La única cosa que me ha fallado es que, dentro de la historia cruel que cuenta, es algo monótona en cuanto a trama, y no hay grandes giros o situaciones que den para mucho cambio y esto, sumado a lo desagradable de la historia, puede conseguir que se te haga algo cansina. ¿Lo recomiendo? Solo si disfrutas de las historias sórdidas como lo hago yo, porque en ese caso te va a compensar el mal trago. No será lo último que lea de Joyce Carol Oates, aunque espero que el próximo sea algo más digerible. Se aceptan recomendaciones de por donde seguir.
No os voy a engañar, es una de las historias más desagradables que he leído nunca. Terrorífico sería decir poco. Y no solo por el hecho de que constantemente aparezcan escenas violentas y crueles que te revuelven el estómago, que también, sino que el hecho de meterse en la piel de un psicópata a estos niveles, que narra su historia en primera persona, resulta una experiencia totalmente incómoda y angustiante. Y eso, pese a todo lo mal que me lo ha hecho pasar, es un mérito.
La atmósfera tensa durante toda la novela, y es curiosa la sensación de detestar al protagonista narrador, mientras deseas salvar a sus víctimas. Sufres porque sabes lo que se viene, y no quieres. Creo que hay un trabajo importante detrás a la hora de plasmar la mente de un asesino de tal calibre y que resulte creíble y realista, pese a sus perversos actos. Esa diferencia entre lo que decía y lo que pensaba, ese punto de manipulación, está muy bien conseguido.
La única cosa que me ha fallado es que, dentro de la historia cruel que cuenta, es algo monótona en cuanto a trama, y no hay grandes giros o situaciones que den para mucho cambio y esto, sumado a lo desagradable de la historia, puede conseguir que se te haga algo cansina. ¿Lo recomiendo? Solo si disfrutas de las historias sórdidas como lo hago yo, porque en ese caso te va a compensar el mal trago. No será lo último que lea de Joyce Carol Oates, aunque espero que el próximo sea algo más digerible. Se aceptan recomendaciones de por donde seguir.
November 5, 2022
There is a timelessness to psychopaths, isn't there?
With headlines being made by the new Dahmer show & Joyce Carol Oates's Blonde movie on Netflix, plus the whole Halloween time of year, I thought this was an appropriate opportunity to give this story a read. & what an appropriately disturbing story this was.
Zombie is a notebook style/stream of consciousness story following the exploits of a disturbed character based loosely on Jeffrey Dahmer. Believe it or not, the title is quite apt for a story that doesn't deal with any of the familiar tropes of the brain-eating variety. The ideas of the central character are scary, but seem like they've been plucked from the headlines of some other serial killer story--disturbingly believable. In fact, ten years from now I wouldn't be surprised if some nut-job performs similar killings & it will make me think to myself: 'Where have I heard this before?'
The way the story ends is abrupt, to say the least. Oates throws down a few ideas near the end that made me wonder if she was trying to pull together a moral of the story, but it felt real flimsy. There was one thing, however, that occurred to me after I had put it down & if you have read 'Zombie', you will think me a madman in my own right. Unless I'm not.
Are you ready? Here it is: I think she wrote an allegory about the subjugation of women.
Boom. Your mind should be blown. Read it & let me know.
Real absorbing read, but not for the faint of heart.
(Those ampersands are distracting, aren't they?)
With headlines being made by the new Dahmer show & Joyce Carol Oates's Blonde movie on Netflix, plus the whole Halloween time of year, I thought this was an appropriate opportunity to give this story a read. & what an appropriately disturbing story this was.
Zombie is a notebook style/stream of consciousness story following the exploits of a disturbed character based loosely on Jeffrey Dahmer. Believe it or not, the title is quite apt for a story that doesn't deal with any of the familiar tropes of the brain-eating variety. The ideas of the central character are scary, but seem like they've been plucked from the headlines of some other serial killer story--disturbingly believable. In fact, ten years from now I wouldn't be surprised if some nut-job performs similar killings & it will make me think to myself: 'Where have I heard this before?'
The way the story ends is abrupt, to say the least. Oates throws down a few ideas near the end that made me wonder if she was trying to pull together a moral of the story, but it felt real flimsy. There was one thing, however, that occurred to me after I had put it down & if you have read 'Zombie', you will think me a madman in my own right. Unless I'm not.
Are you ready? Here it is: I think she wrote an allegory about the subjugation of women.
Boom. Your mind should be blown. Read it & let me know.
Real absorbing read, but not for the faint of heart.
(Those ampersands are distracting, aren't they?)
October 4, 2023
De sobra es conocido por todos la historia de Jeffrey Dahmer, y más con el estreno de la serie en Netflix.
La presente novela está basada en Dahmer, y al igual que en la serie, es el propio Q_P_, quien nos la narra en primera persona.
Las similitudes con Dahmer son casi calcadas, si has visto la serie o conoces su historia, podrás verlo con mayor claridad.
Su apariencia física, su atracción por los chicos, su piso, sus hábitos y su necesidad de tener a alguien sólo para él.
Y esta necesidad es la que lleva a Quentin a buscar una solución, unos libros de medicina sobre lobotomía le dan la inspiración para tener a su propio Zombi. Un sumiso que haga lo que el quiera, que le diga "sí amo" a todo lo que le proponga, alguien con quien acurrucarse por las noches.
Al ser narrada en primera persona, lees sus pensamientos, sus motivaciones...como ve Quentin el mundo, cómo es para él mundo y como está respecto a él. Los capítulos son bastante cortos y hay algunos dibujos interesantes, no porque sean grandes ilustraciones, al contrario, sino porque están donde deben estar y complementan la historia tan cruda que tenemos entre manos.
Sus padres, hermana y abuela siempre luchando porque esté bien, porque tenga sus estudios, su casa, su independencia....o siempre fastidiando como el piensa.
Hay escenas truculentas, que hacen que se te arrugue el estómago, quizás no tanto por lo que cuenta (que también) sino por lo que se avecina.
La presente novela está basada en Dahmer, y al igual que en la serie, es el propio Q_P_, quien nos la narra en primera persona.
Las similitudes con Dahmer son casi calcadas, si has visto la serie o conoces su historia, podrás verlo con mayor claridad.
Su apariencia física, su atracción por los chicos, su piso, sus hábitos y su necesidad de tener a alguien sólo para él.
Y esta necesidad es la que lleva a Quentin a buscar una solución, unos libros de medicina sobre lobotomía le dan la inspiración para tener a su propio Zombi. Un sumiso que haga lo que el quiera, que le diga "sí amo" a todo lo que le proponga, alguien con quien acurrucarse por las noches.
Al ser narrada en primera persona, lees sus pensamientos, sus motivaciones...como ve Quentin el mundo, cómo es para él mundo y como está respecto a él. Los capítulos son bastante cortos y hay algunos dibujos interesantes, no porque sean grandes ilustraciones, al contrario, sino porque están donde deben estar y complementan la historia tan cruda que tenemos entre manos.
Sus padres, hermana y abuela siempre luchando porque esté bien, porque tenga sus estudios, su casa, su independencia....o siempre fastidiando como el piensa.
Hay escenas truculentas, que hacen que se te arrugue el estómago, quizás no tanto por lo que cuenta (que también) sino por lo que se avecina.
March 13, 2022
I’m not going to list all the trigger warnings, but there are a lot.
If you can’t stomach reading about Jeffrey Dahmer, this book is definitely not for you. It is explicit/detailed, and the first person POV of Quentin P is horrifying and unhinged.
JCO is an amazing writer, but this is some next level dark content. I kind of wish I didn’t read this, it was so disturbing 😣
If you can’t stomach reading about Jeffrey Dahmer, this book is definitely not for you. It is explicit/detailed, and the first person POV of Quentin P is horrifying and unhinged.
JCO is an amazing writer, but this is some next level dark content. I kind of wish I didn’t read this, it was so disturbing 😣
June 6, 2023
disturbing and dark. i wish it ended differently.
February 8, 2024
It is important to note that most of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the book's subject matters & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters that contain reflections on sexual violence, assault, violent crime, & others.
There are authors whose work carries the weight of their reputation with each of their stories—they can hardly help it. Whether or not their reputations are positive is entirely out of their control. Readers will possibly endeavour to read an older piece of work from a beloved author to gauge the trajectory of their efforts. Whereas, in other cases, the roster that composes their body of work acts as a reassurance that a reader’s dislike is valid & even, correct.
I admit that, for myself, there are authors whose work I delve into in the hopes of finding what it is other readers love. I cannot say that I am inclined to read something with the demon of hate seething through my veins—I simply do not have the time. However, authors such as Oates are mysteries to me. I have heard their name whispered in between the shelves of books or via a stray news article yet, I have seldom found the spines of their efforts among all the others. At the time at which I am writing this review, I have read two (2) short stories by Oates, both of which I have found to be utterly disappointing.
Coming into this story I was eager to find the reason for the author’s success. Do not mistake me in this statement, I am not a reader who feels a complex superiority or who believes themselves the keeper of all holy sacred goodness in literature. Rather, I am always eager to meet a good story wherever I might find it.
The title of this tale made me uncertain about what I would find, as I am not a fan of the tormented existence of the undead. Unfortunately, what Oates has done, once again, is take a very real & horrific event & make it her own quaint story, sealed lovingly with her initials.
This story is about Jeffrey Dahmer, or if you are so inclined Richard Ramirez, though Oates will never deliberately write that. The main character is first introduced in a very coy way, almost as though to encourage the reader to feel a pull towards his awkwardness. Rapidly, his character is divulged in rivulets; slowly the reader learns that he is a violent man, a man who has assaulted someone, a man who is a sexual predator, & a man whose intentions are horrific.
Perhaps there are readers for whom this setting will be new. The essence of this story might seem rather quaint in its approach to violent crimes. However, readers who are aware of the case & the criminal may feel as I do, disgusted.
I can appreciate that a story exists in every corner of the world & within every human experience & action. However, what I cannot support is the repetitive nature of Oates’ theft of the experiences of people for whom the crimes committed by violent individuals, ruined the lineage of their lives.
What left her feeling inclined to write this story? What brought her to the precipice of copying the events of Dahmer’s life & crimes in a way that left them only slightly shadowed by fiction? I find her desire to write this story, & others, such as “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” (1966) uncouth, disrespectful, & uninspired.
This story does nothing but plagiarize the criminal. The main character’s motives are never explored because Oates is not writing a unique perspective of a character whom she has agency over, she is writing about a man who was extremely & graphically abusive to numerous people. She is unable to quantify the mind of madness & she does not try, making her short story very boring. Her writing is not good enough to stand on its own, the story goes nowhere because readers already know this story—this is a story about real, life & yet the author has found it in themselves to cutely adopt the fictional perspective in a very minimal way.
My perspective on this story is tinged with disgust, I am uneasy about this author’s repeated decision to capitalize on violent crimes to suit her desire to rhyme. Yet, for argument’s sake, I will reflect on the story neutrally as well; for the benefit of readers & myself. The first question I must ask is, for whom is this story?
Writers might not always have a desire to publish a story in the traditional sense. Perhaps, Oates had a desire to work through her displeasure of the world around her & her choice of therapy was to fictionalize the serial crimes of a mentally deranged individual. Perhaps, the author felt safer removing the man’s name from his person & by so doing, stripping him of his agency & freedom to re-offend. Readers may wish to grant Oates some level of empathy; she was alive during the period when these crimes were taking place, this person is her countryman, & she might feel hurt that her home houses horror.
However, even if a reader accounts for the personal ties that the author has towards these events, the story itself is poorly formatted. From a structural perspective, Oates has given the reader nothing but the alliteration of bad things. The main character is violent & mean; he is cruel & withheld; he is morose & misunderstood.
Why is he this way? Why does the main character feel the need to create a dungeon in his basement? Why does the main character target men? What influence do his sexual inclinations have on his inability to live them earnestly? What influence does society have over this man & his sexual orientation? What brought the main character to the brink of physical conflict? What physical attributes render the main character a trustworthy individual?
The author does not explore the depth of the character she brings to the page. Are readers meant to draw such stark parallels between her character & the real villain that they insert him onto the page? If so, this is lazy storytelling. Throughout the story, Oates simply recounts events without tying them to the main character. He lives in a boarding house & yet, no essence to this might be tied to his person; What reflections does he draw by being in constant proximity to people he wishes to physically overpower? What level of self-restraint is required for him to not harm everyone in the house?
Ultimately, the story felt poorly developed & like a cheap attempt to garner attention for the horrors that other people were subjected to. Having read two (2) stories of a similar nature I cannot help but feel unfavourably about the author. No skill or dedication of time & effort went into drafting this jaunt. I cannot say for certain that any level of thought or self-awareness was included in the process of publication either.
Unfortunately, as always, the victims of violent crimes are left to rot on the sidelines & under the earth. Their lives are as poorly cared for as the carcass that is the words on Oates’s fingertips; uninspired, trite, ramblings of a vapidness unmatched.
If you would like to read this story, please visit this •LINK•
There are authors whose work carries the weight of their reputation with each of their stories—they can hardly help it. Whether or not their reputations are positive is entirely out of their control. Readers will possibly endeavour to read an older piece of work from a beloved author to gauge the trajectory of their efforts. Whereas, in other cases, the roster that composes their body of work acts as a reassurance that a reader’s dislike is valid & even, correct.
I admit that, for myself, there are authors whose work I delve into in the hopes of finding what it is other readers love. I cannot say that I am inclined to read something with the demon of hate seething through my veins—I simply do not have the time. However, authors such as Oates are mysteries to me. I have heard their name whispered in between the shelves of books or via a stray news article yet, I have seldom found the spines of their efforts among all the others. At the time at which I am writing this review, I have read two (2) short stories by Oates, both of which I have found to be utterly disappointing.
Coming into this story I was eager to find the reason for the author’s success. Do not mistake me in this statement, I am not a reader who feels a complex superiority or who believes themselves the keeper of all holy sacred goodness in literature. Rather, I am always eager to meet a good story wherever I might find it.
The title of this tale made me uncertain about what I would find, as I am not a fan of the tormented existence of the undead. Unfortunately, what Oates has done, once again, is take a very real & horrific event & make it her own quaint story, sealed lovingly with her initials.
This story is about Jeffrey Dahmer, or if you are so inclined Richard Ramirez, though Oates will never deliberately write that. The main character is first introduced in a very coy way, almost as though to encourage the reader to feel a pull towards his awkwardness. Rapidly, his character is divulged in rivulets; slowly the reader learns that he is a violent man, a man who has assaulted someone, a man who is a sexual predator, & a man whose intentions are horrific.
Perhaps there are readers for whom this setting will be new. The essence of this story might seem rather quaint in its approach to violent crimes. However, readers who are aware of the case & the criminal may feel as I do, disgusted.
I can appreciate that a story exists in every corner of the world & within every human experience & action. However, what I cannot support is the repetitive nature of Oates’ theft of the experiences of people for whom the crimes committed by violent individuals, ruined the lineage of their lives.
What left her feeling inclined to write this story? What brought her to the precipice of copying the events of Dahmer’s life & crimes in a way that left them only slightly shadowed by fiction? I find her desire to write this story, & others, such as “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” (1966) uncouth, disrespectful, & uninspired.
This story does nothing but plagiarize the criminal. The main character’s motives are never explored because Oates is not writing a unique perspective of a character whom she has agency over, she is writing about a man who was extremely & graphically abusive to numerous people. She is unable to quantify the mind of madness & she does not try, making her short story very boring. Her writing is not good enough to stand on its own, the story goes nowhere because readers already know this story—this is a story about real, life & yet the author has found it in themselves to cutely adopt the fictional perspective in a very minimal way.
My perspective on this story is tinged with disgust, I am uneasy about this author’s repeated decision to capitalize on violent crimes to suit her desire to rhyme. Yet, for argument’s sake, I will reflect on the story neutrally as well; for the benefit of readers & myself. The first question I must ask is, for whom is this story?
Writers might not always have a desire to publish a story in the traditional sense. Perhaps, Oates had a desire to work through her displeasure of the world around her & her choice of therapy was to fictionalize the serial crimes of a mentally deranged individual. Perhaps, the author felt safer removing the man’s name from his person & by so doing, stripping him of his agency & freedom to re-offend. Readers may wish to grant Oates some level of empathy; she was alive during the period when these crimes were taking place, this person is her countryman, & she might feel hurt that her home houses horror.
However, even if a reader accounts for the personal ties that the author has towards these events, the story itself is poorly formatted. From a structural perspective, Oates has given the reader nothing but the alliteration of bad things. The main character is violent & mean; he is cruel & withheld; he is morose & misunderstood.
Why is he this way? Why does the main character feel the need to create a dungeon in his basement? Why does the main character target men? What influence do his sexual inclinations have on his inability to live them earnestly? What influence does society have over this man & his sexual orientation? What brought the main character to the brink of physical conflict? What physical attributes render the main character a trustworthy individual?
The author does not explore the depth of the character she brings to the page. Are readers meant to draw such stark parallels between her character & the real villain that they insert him onto the page? If so, this is lazy storytelling. Throughout the story, Oates simply recounts events without tying them to the main character. He lives in a boarding house & yet, no essence to this might be tied to his person; What reflections does he draw by being in constant proximity to people he wishes to physically overpower? What level of self-restraint is required for him to not harm everyone in the house?
Ultimately, the story felt poorly developed & like a cheap attempt to garner attention for the horrors that other people were subjected to. Having read two (2) stories of a similar nature I cannot help but feel unfavourably about the author. No skill or dedication of time & effort went into drafting this jaunt. I cannot say for certain that any level of thought or self-awareness was included in the process of publication either.
Unfortunately, as always, the victims of violent crimes are left to rot on the sidelines & under the earth. Their lives are as poorly cared for as the carcass that is the words on Oates’s fingertips; uninspired, trite, ramblings of a vapidness unmatched.
If you would like to read this story, please visit this •LINK•
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2025
Joyce Carol Oates continues to amaze me with how she is able to actually get into the minds of her characters. Zombie was written in 1995 and is loosely based on the life of Jeffrey Dahmer. Oates delves into the consciousness of the very disturbed serial killer, Quentin P. who tries to create a sex zombie out of unsuspecting young men by attempting to lobotomize them so they will do his bidding. His attempts all end in failure and his victims die after being raped and tortured. Quentin keeps mementos of his crimes but has no regrets or empathy for the victims.
The novel is told in a stream of consciousness style with Oates presenting the acts of Quentin in a very real and frightening way as the psychopath plots to satisfy his deviant urges. This was really a disturbing novel yet Oates is able to tell the story to make it very believable. Oates does use some very graphic details in her narrative including Quentin's attempts at performing lobotomies but she doesn't go overboard in the descriptions like in such novels as American Psycho. It's really how Oates is able to access the mind of the killer that provides the scares in this slim novel.
The novel is told in a stream of consciousness style with Oates presenting the acts of Quentin in a very real and frightening way as the psychopath plots to satisfy his deviant urges. This was really a disturbing novel yet Oates is able to tell the story to make it very believable. Oates does use some very graphic details in her narrative including Quentin's attempts at performing lobotomies but she doesn't go overboard in the descriptions like in such novels as American Psycho. It's really how Oates is able to access the mind of the killer that provides the scares in this slim novel.
December 23, 2015
An unpleasant book, taking you, with absolute lack of Hanniballian romance, into the petty, insignificant mind of a serial killer. The main character only wants to dominate pretty men; he's as cheap and tiresome and disorganized and lame as a middle-aged guy leering at you in a Denny's. To destroy the romance of serial killing: it's like that scene in Sandman where Morpheus takes away the illusions at the "Cereal Convention," only the illusion is actually taken away, not handwaved as one of Morpheus's gestures. A man with a dead-end job, greasy stolen glasses, and a beige van with a flag decal in the back window. Serial killing in its beige, potbellied, ALL CAPS & badly punctuated glory.
May 16, 2023
poorly written, poorly executed, and not in the least bit frightening or shocking.
January 27, 2014
It would be wrong to say I enjoyed this one--I didn't. But then again, I wasn't supposed to.
Joyce Carol Oates has created a novel so eerie and unnerving that the words "enjoyment," "escapism," and "entertaining" are totally inapplicable.
But it is a masterfully written tale with the kind of skillfulness you'd expect from Oates, who is a phenomenal writer. I'm not going to write much more about this because I've got other books waiting for me tonight, but what I will say is that you should only read ZOMBIE if you have a strong stomach. If you do, though, you're in for an exceedingly skin-crawling narrative. And a main character so squeamishly convincing that he'll make you eyeball strangers with just a little bit more suspicion.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to crawl into a corner and shiver for several minutes.
Joyce Carol Oates has created a novel so eerie and unnerving that the words "enjoyment," "escapism," and "entertaining" are totally inapplicable.
But it is a masterfully written tale with the kind of skillfulness you'd expect from Oates, who is a phenomenal writer. I'm not going to write much more about this because I've got other books waiting for me tonight, but what I will say is that you should only read ZOMBIE if you have a strong stomach. If you do, though, you're in for an exceedingly skin-crawling narrative. And a main character so squeamishly convincing that he'll make you eyeball strangers with just a little bit more suspicion.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to crawl into a corner and shiver for several minutes.
February 26, 2022
Una novela que se lee rapidísimo y que no es apta para todos los públicos.
Hay escenas se*uales y de asesinatos muy brutales y macabras.
Cabe resaltar que había ciertos párrafos que eran muy largos y en el que no había signos de puntuación, con lo cual perdí el hilo unas cuantas veces.
En fin, una historia para aquellos/as que adoren el gore.
.
A novel that is read very quickly and is not suitable for all audiences.
There are very brutal and macabre sexual and murder scenes.
It should be noted that there were certain paragraphs that were very long and in which there were no punctuation marks, with which I lost the thread a few times.
In short, a story for those who love gore.
Hay escenas se*uales y de asesinatos muy brutales y macabras.
Cabe resaltar que había ciertos párrafos que eran muy largos y en el que no había signos de puntuación, con lo cual perdí el hilo unas cuantas veces.
En fin, una historia para aquellos/as que adoren el gore.
.
A novel that is read very quickly and is not suitable for all audiences.
There are very brutal and macabre sexual and murder scenes.
It should be noted that there were certain paragraphs that were very long and in which there were no punctuation marks, with which I lost the thread a few times.
In short, a story for those who love gore.
June 12, 2021
Ovo je, prema istinitoj priči pisan, autonarativ masovnog ubice: homoseksualnog nekrofila-kanibala čiji je fetiš da ubijeni bude njegova zombi lutkica. Dok odvratnost kulminira, ne mogu a da ne zapazim da bi, u najboljem čitanju, ovo Sioranu bio ljubić.
Žali bože utrošenog vremena na koje me uporno navlači moja neutaživa znatiželja.
Kukavna ti majka, Outs.
Žali bože utrošenog vremena na koje me uporno navlači moja neutaživa znatiželja.
Kukavna ti majka, Outs.
August 22, 2022
So incredibly boring.
If it hadn’t only been 181 pages, I would’ve DNF’d.
This book did absolutely nothing for me.
Reading from Quentin’s pov made me want to bash my head into a wall.
If it hadn’t only been 181 pages, I would’ve DNF’d.
This book did absolutely nothing for me.
Reading from Quentin’s pov made me want to bash my head into a wall.
July 17, 2022
Utterly horrifying
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