The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a survival story set generations after a zombie apocalypse, and although the word zombie never appears in the text, the so-called “undead” or “Unconsecrated” are easily recognizable as such due to their classic shambling gait and vicious need to bite and claw humans. Notably, the term “Unconsecrated” carries distinct religious connotations that reflect the village’s submission to the Sisterhood’s theocratic power. The author also employs this term to claim a unique narrative space and to differentiate the novel from more well-known zombie-themed works such as Max Brooks’s World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War or zombie parody mash-ups like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith. The strategic use of collective nouns as labels also depicts this novel’s version of zombies as a singular, monstrous force; they exist en masse, lacking any individuality—with the single exception of Gabrielle, the “Fast One.” Additionally, because the Unconsecrated have an unknown origin and exist beyond the safe boundaries of the cloistered village, these undead creatures collectively symbolize the dangers of the unknown and the mysteries of the past.