The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Lore & Background

The story opens with an unexplained disaster that has turned most humans into mindless, cannibalistic undead, who roam the titular forest. Survivors are barricaded inside a walled village deep in the woods, but the fence that protects them also imprisons them within a dystopian society marked by violence, secrecy, and repression. The forest profoundly influences all the action of the novel. The narrator, Mary, has been raised on stories from her great-great-great-grandmother about life before the zombies, and she is especially fascinated by the ocean, which she believes would bring her freedom. Her adventure begins when the fence is breached, and she must escape, find true love, and friendship while uncovering the mystery of the other gates and fences. After a series of events, she finds the ocean, but it is not what she expected.

Reader's Guide

The Forest of Hands and Teeth received critical acclaim upon its US debut, with starred reviews from School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, which called it 'fresh and riveting.' MTV described it as 'a pretty freakin' amazing, empowering and absolutely thrilling young-adult post-apocalyptic zombie love story.' It was selected as a Junior Library Guild selection, an American Library Association 'Best Book for Young Adults,' and appeared on the Texas Library Association TAYSHAS High School Reading list. The novel's film rights were optioned by Seven Star Pictures in 2009, and as of May 2016, the film was in production with Hetherwood Productions, with Maisie Williams set to star as of September 2015. The book remains a notable entry in young adult zombie fiction, combining horror with themes of repression and curiosity.

Did You Know?

• The novel was published on March 10, 2009 by Random House Delacorte Press in the United States.
• The second book in the trilogy, The Dead-Tossed Waves, was released on March 9, 2010.
• The novel was nominated for the North Carolina School Library Media Association Young Adult Book Award.
• As of September 2015, Maisie Williams was set to star in the film adaptation.