Hitchers

Starred review from December 19, 2011
Hugo-winner McIntosh (“Bridesicle”) delivers a moving tale of individual grief and recovery against the backdrop of a devastated world. When an anthrax attack on Atlanta devastates the population, widower Finn Darby loses two of his few remaining friends. Shortly after, he finds himself randomly uttering sentences that have no meaning to him. They seem to be connected to his late grandfather, an abusive man who created the comic strip that Darby now writes against his grandfather’s dying wishes. As these bouts of babbling increase in frequency and length, Darby discovers other sufferers, including a washed-up rock star and a waitress who might be possessed by Darby’s dead wife. Darby, with his personal grief serving as synecdoche for the entire city, is forced to confront his guilt over his wife’s death and his co-opting of his grandfather’s work. From a premise designed for over-the-top bombast, McIntosh pulls a quiet, un-treacly, and often beautiful tale of complex love and grief.

Starred review from February 1, 2012
In the second novel by an up-and-coming sf-fantasy author, a terrorist bioweapon attack wipes out a substantial portion of the population of Atlanta. Not long after, the spirits of the dead begin taking up residence in the living. Cartoonist Finn Darby is one of the unwilling hosts, finding himself inhabited by his deceased grandfather, who originated the newspaper strip Finn now writes and draws. Desperate to rid himself of his unwelcome guesthe never got along with Grandpa when the old man was aliveFinn hooks up with an aging rock star, who's been inhabited by his former writing partner, and a diner waitress, whose hitcher is Finn's dead wife. The trio tries to find a way to send the dead back to Deadland before the hitchers take full control of their bodies. The story could easily have been played for laughs, but McIntosh takes a far more daring approach, playing it straight. Like Ira Levin or a good mystery writer, he lays out the facts and leads the reader to the only reasonable conclusion. By the time he reveals the truth of the situation, it feels not only plausible but self-evident. This is a charming novel, with well-drawn characters, a smartly constructed plot, and some real drama and emotion. Horror and sf-fantasy fans shouldn't miss it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)