The Girl with All the Gifts
A post-apocalyptic novel about a fungal infection and a gifted child.
A fungal infection from South America, a variant of *Ophiocordyceps unilateralis*, wiped out most of humanity twenty years before the story begins. The infected, called "hungries," lose their minds and crave human flesh, spreading the disease through blood, saliva, or airborne spores. In England, survivors live in fortified zones like Beacon or roam as violent scavengers known as "junkers." A military base called Hotel Echo, located 30 miles from London and 74 miles from Beacon, studies a unique group of child hungries who retain their intelligence unless they smell a human. To mask the scent, the base uses a scarce substance called e-blocker.
The children are taught by teachers and tested by Dr. Caroline Caldwell, who often dissects them. Behavioral psychologist Helen Justineau objects, seeing the children as people, especially 10-year-old Melanie, a genius who loves Greek mythology and views Justineau as a mother. Melanie doesn't realize she is different. When Caldwell decides to dissect Melanie, Justineau intervenes, but junkers and hungries attack the base. Caldwell is wounded, and Melanie eats human flesh for the first time while saving Justineau. The three flee with Sergeant Eddie Parks and Private Kieran Gallagher, heading for Beacon. Parks only allows Melanie to come if she is muzzled and handcuffed on the tank's roof; she cooperates, now aware of her danger.
Melanie proves useful—hungries ignore her, and she can lead them away. Caldwell still sees her as a specimen, but the others begin to trust her. The group finds the mobile lab *Rosalind Franklin*, which vanished during its research mission. Caldwell, dying from sepsis, uses its equipment. While eating wild animals, Melanie discovers a group of child hungries who retain mental function but have no language. Fearing they will be experimented on, she lies to the adults, telling them she saw junkers, but confesses the truth to Justineau. Gallagher flees and is eaten by the intelligent hungries.
Obsessed with finishing her research, Caldwell captures one of these hungries and experiments on him. Melanie finds a giant mass of fungal fruiting bodies whose spore pods won't open on their own. She tricks Caldwell into letting her inside, and before dying, Caldwell reveals there is no cure. The intelligent hungries are second-generation, born from hungries who retained some human behavior.
Quick Facts
- Italic Title
- The Girl with All the Gifts
- Author
- M. R. Carey
- Language
- English
- Genre
- Dystopia / Post-apocalyptic
- Publisher
- Orbit Books
- Pub Date
- June 2014
- Pages
- 460
- Isbn
- 978-0-356-50015-7
- Followed By
- The Boy on the Bridge
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Dr. Caldwell, believing she is close to a cure, chooses to dissect Melanie. Justineau intervenes, but the base is attacked by junkers and hungries; Caldwell is wounded, and Melanie eats flesh for the first time while saving Justineau. The three flee with Sergeant Eddie Parks and Private Kieran Gallagher, heading to Beacon. Parks agrees to bring Melanie only after muzzling and handcuffing her. Melanie proves useful—hungries do not attack her—and the group finds the mobile laboratory Rosalind Franklin. Caldwell, dying from sepsis, continues research and discovers there is no cure or vaccine; intelligent hungries are second-generation, conceived by hungries who retained some human behavior. Melanie deduces that fire triggers the opening of spore pods, and she asks Parks to shoot the spore mass with a flamethrower. She explains that for second-generation hungries to rebuild the world, all humans must first be infected. Justineau awakens in the lab and is led by Melanie to a group of intelligent hungries, to whom Justineau, in an environmental suit, starts teaching the alphabet.
Reader's Guide
The Girl with All the Gifts received acclaim from critics, who praised its variation from typical zombie fiction and the depth of its characters. Torie Bosch of Slate called it 'crossover horror at its best' and noted its shift from typical zombie stories. James Smythe of The Guardian praised the book as 'original, thrilling and powerful,' though he found the plot slight and the ending rushed, but the characters well drawn. Miles of Entertainment Weekly highlighted that the protagonist Melanie, despite having no pulse, is empathetic and sympathetic. NPR's Genevieve Valentine, while critical of the protagonist's narrative, found the book 'grotesque and grimly hopeful by turns.' The novel was adapted into a 2016 film with the same title, directed by Colm McCarthy and starring Sennia Nanua as Melanie, Gemma Arterton as Helen Justineau, Glenn Close as Caroline Caldwell, and Paddy Considine as Sergeant Parks. A prequel novel, The Boy on the Bridge, was published in 2017.
Did You Know?
- The title is a loose translation of 'Pandora,' and the Pandora myth appears in the story in several ways.
- The book is based on M. R. Carey's 2013 Edgar Award–nominated short story 'Iphigenia in Aulis.'
- The fungal infection in the book is a variant of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, a fungus native to South America.
- The film adaptation was initially announced as She Who Brings Gifts before being changed to match the book's title in June 2016.
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