If there wasn’t already enough evidence that I’m a total wuss, my newly found love of Elizabeth Scott just might be the icing on the cake. Although I haven’t had the pleasure of reading all of her novels, it’s fairly obvious that her intended audience is teenage girls. To be fair, I happened upon this book on accident. I saw someone posting about it on Twitter, and not realizing how recently it was written (2009), assumed that it was the inspiration for the Rob Zombie song. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Living Dead Girl is hands down, the most disconcerting book I have ever read, and likely will ever read. That said; it’s amazing and should be read—NO—experienced by everyone. It follows the life a 15 year old girl named Alice. Five years ago she was kidnapped by a man named Ray and made into a…well, basically a slave. What makes this different from an episode of Law & Order: SVU, however, is that it’s told from the perspective of the victim, and trust me when I say that Scott does not pull any punches during the many scenes of first person sexual abuse.
I’m to understand that this story is an incredible departure from the rest of Scott’s repertoire. The idea came to her in April of 2007 when she had the same vivid dream three nights in a row. Scott writes in her journal about the dream:
“Alice.” It is her name but it isn’t her name. She thinks of who she was as someone far away. Long ago. Kidnapped when she was ten. Five years, and she lives with the kidnapper still. Now he wants someone else. New. She’ll do anything to get him off her. Knows no one sees her, staring at blue thing, plastic like water but not water, reflection strange. Blurred, featureless. Flash of teeth, grinning not grinning, hands and pain, HIM. Thinks, I am a living dead girl.
My unusual fascination with being made uncomfortable notwithstanding, the best thing about this book is the writing style. Most of the chapters are only a few pages long, with some being as little as a single paragraph. This allows for the illusion of the quick read that I love so much. Although, it only took me a few hours to finish, so maybe it wasn’t an illusion after all.
The short, choppy sentences and simple language help to make the story more powerful. This hyper-conversational tone allows you to get inside the head of Alice in a way that would’ve been difficult to convey had it been written in a more traditionally. What results is a beautifully crafted stream of consciousness that works so well that you begin to identify with the character almost immediately. Her pain is your pain. When Ray touches Alice, you cringe because he is touching you as well.
Speaking of Ray, what a creep. Having extensively studied sociopaths (and criminals in general), I’m no stranger to the way they think and act. And after reading Living Dead Girl, it’s very clear to me that Scott did her homework. Her portrayal of Ray is so unnerving. Every word out of his mouth is salt in Alice’s wounds. For one, her name isn’t even really Alice, and the bastard actually believes that he’s doing her a favor by abusing her! One of my favorites parts was the glimpse into his past, which explains–but by no means, justifies–why he acts the way he does.
Despite it’s graphic content, this book is meant for the teenage demographic. Even so, there is still much to be enjoyed for an adult. It’s a quick read at 176 pages, and hard to put down once you start. However, its a rather inexpensive book, so even though it won’t take more than an evening to read, it’s well worth the money. Let it be said once more that this book is not for the faint of heart, but if you think you can stomach the controversial topic, I promise you that Living Dead Girl will prove to be a rewarding experience.
