Breathers
S. G. Browne
Broadway, Mar 2009, $$14.00
ISBN: 9780767930611

The car accident left Andy Warner and his wife dead. However, Andy actually survives or at least comes back to life though he is mute since his vocal cords were destroyed. He lives in his parents' wine cellar though they are on ice for now and attends UA (Undead Anonymous) meetings when he goes out, which is rare as the undead has no inalienable rights. In fact there is de facto prejudice against zombies as the group can be hunted down without penalty and de jure bias as the group is legally barred from employment.

Andy understands why mortals loathe, fear and hunt them due to their fetish of dining on human flesh. When he and his cohort Rita the suicide and Jerry the undead hunter learn why they obsess over eating breathers, Andy becomes animated as a leading spokes-person for the rotted smelly disadvantaged to gain their rights.

This superb satire lives up to its subtitle: "A Zombie's Lament" as Andy narrates his reanimated life of no rights. The story line lampoons western societies with hyperbole, dark freezer humor, and of course plenty of violence; the latter is a trademark of zombies. With a deep look at hypocrisy, but somewhat softened by a romantic subplot, fans will enjoy BREATHERS as S.G. Browne takes a bite out of the holier than thou society.

Harriet Klausner