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A review by christinefitz
The Only Safe Place Left Is the Dark by Warren Wagner
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this book last year and loved it, and this year I recommended it for a book club and people seemed to really enjoy it. My second reading was as good as my first, maybe even better. An HIV positive gay man, still mourning the loss of his partner years ago, has to leave his secluded cabin in the woods during a zombie apocalypse to procure more antiretrovirals. There's a lot going on in an incredibly short period of time - romance, a second timeline, zombies - and there are maybe some loose ends or parts that feel rushed, but I don't really care; the vibes are perfect, the flashbacks are emotional, there's metaphor and dystopian energy. And you can probably read it in a few hours.
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Sexual content