Book Review: HANDLING THE UNDEAD by John Ajvide Lindqvist

The Undead Vs. the Welfare State

Book Review: HANDLING THE UNDEAD (2009) by John Ajvide Lindqvist
(Original Swedish title: HANTERINGEN AV ODÖDA (2005))

John Ajvide Lindqvist became a bestselling writer with his horror novel LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2004) — a book so creepy I could just barely finish it (and I mean that as a compliment).

HANDLING THE UNDEAD was released after that monster hit (pun intended), so naturally expectations were high. And this may not be bestseller material, but I do appreciate that Lindqvist did not try to repeat himself.

This novel isn’t really about the “undead”, but about the living — about how we grieve and fear the dead, and how a (supposedly) well-ordered society tries to control that grief and fear.

The plot is straightforward: During a period of strange weather, Sweden suddenly experiences that the recently deceased are coming back to… let’s call it “semi-life.” These undead are not inherently violent, or particularly active. They behave somewhat like ghosts, somewhat like zombies, but really are neither.

This being Sweden, the government and authorities organize a bureaucratic response — an official program for managing and accommodating the undead. Life is supposed to go on as before, except for having the undead around.

But despite the welfare state’s best efforts: What are parents to do when a dead child shows up in their home? What do you do when a grandparent refuses to stay buried? How do you cope with that, make sense of it?

The main characters are ordinary people, who do not understand why their dead children, parents and loved ones have returned. Their reactions and coping attempts are credible — given the morbid absurdity of the situation — and tragic.

There is also overt satire, as the Swedish "cradle-to-grave" welfare state tries to treat the undead as just another "social problem"... with unforeseen and ghastly results. (A "cradle-to-beyond-the-grave" society, if you wish.)

I think this novel is good. In places, it's even great. However, HANDLING THE UNDEAD as a whole comes just short of greatness. It runs out of steam towards the end, and the conclusion feels rushed.

HANDLING THE UNDEAD is creepy for sure, and refreshingly original. I only wish it could have offered more.

Recommended for readers of horror and weird fiction.