The Patience of the Dead Synopsis
The Patience of the Dead is a different kind of zombie story. On one world-shattering morning everything changes, all around the globe. On that day, and every day thereafter, everyone who dies opens their eyes again. They don’t wake as shambling, brain-eating monsters. They wake claiming to be the same person they were before. Many believe ‘The Returned’ are their beloved mother or son or partner come back to life. More believe they are monsters; abominations that must be destroyed. In truth, nobody knows what they are and only one thing is certain. Every day, there are more of them. It follows Nina, Alice and James on their painful journeys through a world changed by the dead. When people die, they simply rise again, claiming to be who they were before. Nina is a strong and beautiful woman, but her business is on a knife-edge the day the dead rise. Civilisation collapses and she retreats with partner Marcus to a remote house, deep in the White Mountains. Difficult years pass as Marcus’ health deteriorates, and they must survive and defend themselves against attackers. An attacker is killed but Returns, a dead woman simply standing at the edge of their property. Nina becomes pregnant and radio signals tell of civilisation taking hold again, but Marcus climbs onto a funeral pyre, forcing her to shoot him so he is not burned alive. She goes into labour and is saved by the dead woman. Together, they travel to the nearest city of Manchester, NH where the dead woman abandons her. Alice is born into a world where the dead rise, unless a choice is made to burn them. The role of The Returned is a fraught one, with many people believing them to be who they were in life. They are dessicated and hairless, but extremely strong, and can only be killed by burning. Alice is a troubled child, having seen her mother kill to survive, and grows to be an exceptionally tall and beautiful but damaged young woman. She sings in a local bar and eventually forms an unlikely relationship with James, the unusually short Council Engineer. They eventually marry and have a child, Kirsten. They are happy until Alice becomes ill and dies, but is allowed to rise again – this is James’ decision and much against Nina’s wishes. James, a very short but handsome man, has an unusual view of The Returned, having been brought up in an orphanage where the carers were all dead. He almost kills himself as a child, to Return, but is persuaded not to. He grows to be a serious young man who shows no emotion – like The Returned who raised him – until Alice almost leaves him and he breaks down. When Alice dies, James finds his view of The Returned changed – he cannot believe that this dried up creature is his wife. Nina warns him not to leave Kirsten alone with Alice, but one day he finds she was killed in an accident and is Returned. He tries to live as before, but eventually cannot cope with witnessing what is left of his daughter, and he and Nina conspire to trap and burn her. Alice, as ever, does not react. James agrees to cremate Nina when she dies, but when he gets the call and hurries to her house, he is physically prevented by a group of Returned. This is the first time the Returned have laid hands on anybody, to his knowledge. He cannot prevent Nina returning. In the final chapter, there are many more Returned than living and, at a town event, they all stop as one and take hold of the living. Nina and Alice grip James so hard it hurts. Then, again as one, they let go, turn and leave. The dead can simply wait.
