On the HahaFiction shelf
Breathers
Andy Warner has come back from the dead, but his old life hasn’t made room for him. He lives in his parents’ wine cellar, cannot speak properly and belongs to a group with no legal rights. Undead Anonymous introduces him to other zombies, including Rita, and gives him somewhere to take his frustrations.
From the publisher’s blurb
“a romantic zombie comedy (rom-zom-com, for short)”Read the full description at Penguin Random House’s description
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What makes it funny?
The support group asks its dead members to repeat affirmations about being survivors. Andy has little patience for the cheerful advice, or for the indignities of decomposing at home. Readers in a dark-humor book discussion recommend Breathers for that twisted approach.
The comedy at work
Browne applies familiar arguments about rights, acceptance and self-improvement to people whose bodies are falling apart. Publishers Weekly singles out the social satire and the love story amid extreme violence.
Try this if…
Zombie readers who enjoy sardonic narration, support-group satire and a romance inside the gore have a clear match here.
Good to know
Expect gore, cannibalism, alcohol use and strong language, with references to suicide and domestic violence. The comedy does not keep the physical horror at a distance.
More funny romantic comedy
Sources & further reading
- Reader discussion
Reader discussion
- Publisher: novel and edition
Publisher
- Publishers Weekly review
Review
- BingeBooks: opening chapters
Reading sample
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