Survivor Song (Book Review)

Following the friendship of two women—pediatric doctor Rams and the very pregnant and recently infected Natalie—as they seek help in a world going mad, Survivor Song is a story with suspense and drama at every turn. And, well-peppered with nods to classic horror books and movies, the story will elicit a certain admiration in any fan of the genre.

“Crazy awful stuff happening. Horrific shit has always happened, is always happening, and everywhere. And will happen, it won’t stop. There aren’t any other timelines and this one has always been a horror.”

Fans of Tremblay’s previous work will also be excited to find not just his usual Easter eggs to his other works, but a full-on follow-up to previous characters from Disappearance at Devil’s Rock. Other readers will miss out on the significance of this but won’t be confused, although they may be spoiled if they ever end up wanting to read the original story they feature in.

That being said, readers who are new to Tremblay’s work will probably like this book best while those familiar with his work will likely have come to love his surreal ambiguity, which is notably missing here, leaving many less-than-satisfied with the surety of the ending. 

Still, the realistic rendering of the small-town outskirts of Boston, grounding the horror in reality, is still very much apparent. The focus on realistic and well-developed characters also remains present, although it could have been further developed by more flashbacks into Rams and Natalie’s early relationship in order to make the story even more emotional and impactful.

Meanwhile, the interesting attempt at experimental formatting is a new addition to Tremblay’s writing arsenal. Although incredibly intriguing, it doesn’t fit the story as well as it would, say, a book about a haunted house, and seems more of a gimmick than anything else.

“Happiness was for dogs, lovely creatures though they were. Ramola yearned for something more complex, something earned, and something more satisfying.”

Unlike Tremblay’s other works, this book is more fast-paced and full of action, which will keep readers avidly flipping pages and unwilling to put the book down, but which is honestly not as interesting in the hands of an author who does quiet, psychological horror so well and leaves a bit to be desired in terms of detail during high-intensity moments. More science-based than surreal, the story also lacks Tremblay’s signature uncertainty, and the story quickly becomes predictable, a trait not found in any of his other books, although this doesn’t make reading the work any less addictive.

But, Tremblay’s unwillingness to back down from jumping right into the fray is admirable. Where other zombie media shirks away from describing certain details that could give away the falsity of the premise, usually taking the route of so-and-so days later to skip past all the science stuff, Survivor Song doesn’t shy away from explaining the virus, its outbreak, and the medical science of things, and does so in a very convincing way. This allows readers to get a side of the story we haven’t often seen in the genre: front-seat ticket to a hospital during a deadly pandemic. 

“a myopic, sluggish federal bureaucracy further hamstrung by a president unwilling and woefully unequipped to make the rational, science-based decisions necessary; and exacerbated, of course, by plain old individual everyday evil.”

Despite other articles and reviews overstating the book’s ability to showcase the current state of our world, Survivor Song doesn’t elicit many similarities to our actual pandemic….except for the fear of overrun hospitals. Otherwise, the disease is much more deadly, violent, and dramatic than anything we’re seeing today, but still pretty fascinating to read about.   

A good choice for those being introduced to Tremblay for the first time, and especially those who love zombie stories, Survivor Song will be enjoyable, while it may be somewhat of a disappointment to long-term fans, especially those who love the surreal. As part of the latter group, I rated Survivor Song 3 out of 5 stars.

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