Red, as her Dad nicknamed her, since she was never without her red hoodie, or Cordelia, as her Mama named her, was always a different sort of girl. Born to a white dad and a black mom in a small university town where her parents were both professors, she's mainly stuck to herself. She loves horror movies and is never without a plan, which serves her well when a disease dubbed "The Cough" begins to pop up around the country, striking people down within a matter of days. Ever prepared, she began ordering and collecting provisions as soon as she heard about what could, and would, become a devastating epidemic, so that she could make the trek to safety with her mom, dad, and her annoying brother, Adam. Grandma's house was out in the middle of nowhere and surely it could be a refuge for the family. Why was Red always such a planner? It probably had something to do with the fact that she has had a prosthetic leg since losing it to a drunk driver when she was 8. And she hates guns, so she chooses to carry a small axe on her belt, for safety. She is well aware of the Red Riding Hood parallels, but with so many wolves in and out of sheep's clothing wandering the land, it's not a bad analogy.
Red's story plays out in the present and also the past, covering the time when the family decided to head to Grandma's, at Red's terse insistence, and then picking up at present, which is about 7 weeks later as she is still making the hundred mile trek. Her brother Adam wants to go to the quarantine camps, as that's what the news said to do before it all went black and there was no more internet and electricity, but Red knows this is foolish. If there's an epidemic, why get crammed in a tuna can, only to probably catch it anyway? Adam always wants to take the easy way out in everything.
Along the way, Red will encounter a few people, ranging from homegrown militia groups, to actual members of the military, two lone kids struggling to survive, and even a kindly old man, but she'll also meet those who are out to take what she has, or worse. And although she doesn't like violence (well, she does in her movie selections), she won't hesitate to protect herself and those with her. The Cough isn't the only dangerous thing out there.
And then there's the chest-bursters from Alien, or at least it seems some corpses she encounters died this way. Great, the virus has mutated. Or has it? Can viruses do that? She doesn't think so, but her rational and quite scientific mind can't really process these bodies she is coming across. It's going to take a lot of hard work and stubbornness for a girl with one leg to make it to Grandma's house, but her very life depends on it.
I loved The Girl in Red. It was a fast read, mainly because I had a hard time putting it down, but it's also the way in which it was written. Very conversationally, sometimes with Red's thoughts running together in a bit of panic or her fighting to keep the horrors of what was happening out of her mind. I've really loved everything I've read by Christina Henry, with the exception of The Mermaid, which I liked but just didn't love. It's hard to pick a favorite because she is so creative and each book stands on its own, but this is a top contender. If you love a twisted fairytale, (and this one is the most loose interpretation of a classic fairytale that she's done yet), definitely check out The Girl in Red. Highly, highly recommended.
