And Then I Woke Up

Like me, the vibrant book cover with what looks like a dark doodle done during detention and graffiti don't more than likely caught your eye. For me, this and The Beast in Aisle 34 were instant pickups on the basis of cover alone, as I perused the horror selects shelf of a quaint local bookstore. And Then I Work Up is a pensively deceiving novella that lures you in with the unreliable narrator's promise of a zombie apocalypse with a reality bending twist.

Without getting deep into spoiler territory, I'll just say that this brisk read paints an interesting tale of just how powerful storytelling can truly be. How do you know what's real if this infection distorts your ability to differentiate between reality and monstrous nightmare. Subtle jabs at news media outlets, propaganda, social media, overwhelming technology, pop culture consumption, political allegories to Trump's unfortunate and eye-opening stint as president of the United States, and even some COVID crossover. Author Malcolm Devlin connects the shaping of narrative directly to the causation and cure of his unique widespread flesh tearing infected. It's the type of story that will have you thinking about its themes throughout your day, as what can be more relatable and prevalent throughout our days than stories and how we each perceive them through our own lenses and biases.