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My introduction to Paul Tremblay’s work was earlier this year, in a small science-fiction collection curated by one of my favorite authors, Blake Crouch. The collection is called Forward and is available for free if you have Amazon Prime. Tremblay had a short story titled “The Last Conversation,” which struck all emotional chords in the short amount of time the story had with me. I knew then that I may have found a new writer that would truly resonate with me. I immediately decided to read one of his novels, but couldn’t choose which one to start with. Based on some early reviews from friends of mine, along with wanting to support a new release, I picked up Survivor Song earlier this month. I didn’t realize I was in for such a relevant and emotional ride.
The book takes place in current times, in the Boston area of Massachusetts. An infectious super-rabies virus has started to spread and take hold throughout area, overwhelming emergency services and hospitals. Infected animals and humans alike are broken down to savage versions of their former selves, with only one intention, to attack. The story itself follows Natalie, a nine-months pregnant woman whose husband is ferociously beaten to death by a rabies-infected man in their house, right in front of her. Escaping the deadly confrontation, and being bitten in the meantime, Natalie seeks the help of her best friend and current pediatrician, Ramola. Ramola has heard the new super virus only takes an hour before a vaccination and treatment are rendered useless and promises to get Natalie to the hospital to save her and her baby’s lives. Obviously, there is much more to the story than that, but I’m not one for spoiling.
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The pacing of the book is mostly wonderful. The story kicks into gear within the first couple of pages and only slows down a few times throughout. I felt these moments dragged a little, not because they were bad or weren’t necessary, but because the rest of the story is so high voltage that it’s hard to come down for just a few minutes. Adding a timer to the story is an effective strategy, as it gives a layer of intensity and investment. The reader begins to tell themselves, “I can’t put this book down, what if they don’t make it while I’m not reading?” Tremblay does an excellent job of letting the reader fall into a comfortable place, having us think that this is the moment things are going to finally be okay, only to jar us back into the reality of the situation.
Like in the short story I had previously read, Tremblay expertly develops his characters in a brief amount of time, and within a proximity. We aren’t given a massive earth-ending pandemic like in The Stand, and we don’t need one. The entire story takes place within just a few hours, in a radius of 10-20 miles. It makes us feel closer to the characters, like we’re right there with them, struggling to get through that next mile to safety. Natalie and Ramola are written brilliantly, and although we’re never really given a deep dive on their character’s complete lives, we’re given just enough of a peek to care about them. Some side characters are introduced in the book, a couple of which are developed well in the short amount of time spent on them. Others feel like blurs on sideline and I found myself wanting to know more about their trials through the madness. My curiosity was peaked, but I had to be content with the fact that this story wasn’t for them. The real attachment for the reader comes from the deepness of Rams & Nats’ (their nicknames for each other) friendship, and how when things all seems to be lost, we must keep pushing forward.
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The relevancy of Survivor Song is hard-hitting with what’s going on in the world currently. It’s a hard reminder that as a human race we’ve somehow over time become both extremely resilient and incredibly fragile simultaneously. Decisions and communication from leadership have the potential to guide us into taking extremely right or wrong paths. They can be lifesaving or life-ending. Our resources for saving and healing can be seemingly gone in an instant. We’re guaranteed nothing in this life, and Tremblay reminds us of that over and over.
Overall, I was so pleased with my first full Paul Tremblay experience. I’m not going to lie to you, the story is heavy, especially right now, but it’s such an important reminder that even though sometimes things can feel like we’re in the darkest timeline, we have to keep moving, and pushing, and singing.
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