foresthandandteethTitle: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Author: Carrie Ryan
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Summary:
Surrounded by the Unconsecrated Mary and her fellow villagers live every day in fear for their existence.  Afraid that the undead rising from among their fallen friends and family will breach the barricades they protect their tiny town in the hopes that they too will not be infected and cast out to live in the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

Protected from their aggressors in both body and soul villagers rely on two safeguards for a sense of normalcy, community and stability.  The first, a group called the Guardians, are the security force responsible for the physical safety of the village.  They maintain the barricade standing as a fortress between citizens and their hunters.

The second, a group of nun-like women called the Sisterhood, hold the key to spiritual health, maintenance of tradition and community building.  It is at the behest of these powerful ladies that villagers are bred to live a life of slightly puritan values.  More importantly they are encouraged to let go of history and forget the time before the Unconsecrated roamed outside their gates.

As part of village custom expectations of women are very strict.  They are expected to select of one of three options (1) to live with a family member; (2) marry men they may not love in the fulfillment of keeping the human race alive; or (3) join The Sisterhood.  In most cases women are betrothed, married and have children as duty assigns.  Very few choose to join the cloistered life of The Sisterhood.

Given the very specific lifestyle of a woman villager Mary is marked a troublemaker.  Her head already filled with anecdotes from a time long since past that her mother fed her Mary’s insatiable desire to learn more about what is beyond the forest of Hands and Teeth instigate a chain of events that affect the lives of everyone she knows.

Opinion:
Ryan has crafted a darkly imaginative novel in which she’s showcased themes that focus on core issues many of today’s young adults commonly face.  Sacrifice, obligation, individuality, love, and betrayal are all explored as Mary interacts with members of her family, an array of villagers and fights against the Unconsecrated. Making it all that much more intense Ryan weaves in the constant threat of death without being gratuitously violent.  Above all she focuses on the above issues in a unique way that draws the reader in and allows them to relate to the story despite living in a different time and place.

Most impressive is the author’s ability to build complex characters with impressive strength that remain intriguing throughout a variety of trying circumstances.  Characters readers root for and want to see happily successful in the end.  As one would expect the main character, Mary, is most compelling as she is the central focus throughout the story.   She is a strong willed, inquisitive, though quiet character.  Profoundly affected by her circumstances she strives for individuality in a place where such endeavors are unwelcome.  More than anything she wants love, happiness and above all freedom from the bindings of her surroundings.  Most notably she wants to explore the history of the world her mother shared with her; a history of life before the Unconsecrated rose and became captors of the human race.  It is her captivating presence throughout the novel that drives the story and grabs hold of readers from the very first chapter.

If you are a reader who enjoys a complex story that keeps you guessing The Forest of Hands and Teeth is definitely a book to add to your list of must reads.