The Girl in Red

May 6, 2019
Henry’s sharp, unsettling rendition of “Little Red Riding Hood” explores whether a healthy sense of paranoia and extensive knowledge of horror fiction rules will increase Red’s chances of post-pandemic survival, especially given her increased vulnerability due to her gender and prosthetic leg. Three months after the start of the Crisis—an illness that has killed most of the populace and is somehow creating creepy, monstrous creatures—Red is determined to reach her grandmother’s rural home, despite the obstacles of patrols (government and otherwise), devastated infrastructure, her determination not to use a gun, and the deprivations and hardships of the lengthy trek. Red (nee Cordelia) is a prickly but sympathetic protagonist, imbued with a fierce and admirable determination to protect herself and her loved ones, but even armed with resolution and a hand ax, she may not reach her destination. Henry (Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook) satisfyingly upends the familiar tale of a clever girl, a dangerous wolf, and a brave savior, and folklore fans will enjoy this bloody near-future variation on a familiar theme.

This audiobook, narrated by the supremely talented January LaVoy, reimagines Little Red Riding Hood as a postapocalyptic tale. An unstoppable virus wipes out most of humanity. Red, a young woman with a prosthetic leg and survival knowledge based mostly on movies, treks hundreds of miles through the woods, toward her grandmother's house and refuge. But rounding up survivors along the way are soldiers, evil men with the darkest of intents--and something even more terrifying. LaVoy's performance is perfectly attuned to Red, a wonderful protagonist who is highly intelligent and capable but emotionally frayed by the loss of loved ones and what she's done to survive. LaVoy also portrays the people in Red's life before and after the collapse, handling character with aplomb. A.T.N. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine