Her Name Was Abby by Peter Martuneac

Set in the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse, Her Name Was Abby by Peter Martuneac is a gritty tale of survival and not just in the physical sense of the word. 

Buy or Pass Recommendation: A good buy for fans of dystopic and survivalist fiction.

The Good

Do ends justify the means? How far would you go to survive? And is it worth the price?

These are only some of the questions the novel poses as it weaves the story of a world torn apart by crisis and mayhem. At just fifteen, Abby has witnessed things, experienced things, and done things, most of us can only ever imagine. Trauma, loss, and hunger define her short existence.

The book is not as much about the fight with zombies as it is about the fight to protect and preserve our humanity, our way of life, and our most cherished values. 

The apocalypse presents the perfect opportunity for a tyrant to grab power and crack down on human rights, all in the name of keeping the public safe. A scared and hapless society buckles, accepting what appears at first to be the lesser of the two evils. Of course, this is nothing new. Despots have long played this game and societies have gone along with it only to repent later.

I also can’t help but draw a connection between the current crisis and the one depicted in the book. I found it an oddly comforting read, and I begin to understand why dystopic and horror novels have seen a surge in popularity since the pandemic began.

The Bad

I wasn’t entirely clear on the technological state of the country. TVs, satellites, internet, and cell phones are still functional and accessible to a large swathe of the public.

Then why was the warehouse Abby breaks into not under CCTV surveillance? Why was the president’s office unguarded and so easy to gain entrance into? That too when the White House is hosting a banquet—the most opportune time for an intruder to slip in amongst the crowd? The convenient lack of security at such moments was unconvincing.

The Nit-picks

An oft repeated punctuation error: the use of closing quotation marks at the end of each paragraph of dialogue, instead of just the final paragraph, for the same speaker.

A gripping and thought-provoking novel. Her Name Was Abby functions just as well as a standalone novel, but I recommend reading the series in order. While I haven’t read the first book, His Name was Zach, I have read the prequel, Abby: Alone, which helped humanise Abby and enhanced my reading experience.