Friday Fiction: Z for Zachariah (Review)

A claustrophobic story that sticks in your mind

Here’s this week’s Friday Fiction. This post is for paid subscribers only.

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Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brien

This 1974 novel is well worth reading, even today. Robert C. O'Brien was actually a pen name for Robert Leslie Conly, and the book was published by his family following his death in 1973. He never got to see the impact it would have on our imaginations.

But first, let’s begin with a book description (taken from Goodreads):

Is anyone out there?

Ann Burden is sixteen years old and completely alone. The world as she once knew it is gone, ravaged by a nuclear war that has taken everyone from her. For the past year, she has lived in a remote valley with no evidence of any other survivors.

But the smoke from a distant campfire shatters Ann's solitude. Someone else is still alive and making his way toward the valley. Who is this man? What does he want? Can he be trusted? Both excited and terrified, Ann soon realizes there may be worse things than being the last person on Earth.