Take All of Us

By: Jamie Steinberg

In the book Take All of Us it has been five years since the water in the West Virginia town of Kittakoop was poisoned by a parasite. Locals have begun turning into dark-eyed, oil-dripping shadows of their former selves and the hospitals are unable to figure out the cause…or how to cure it. Ian Chandler is a teenager that suffers from seizures and migraines. When an incident at the mall turns him into one of the infected, we travel on a journey with Ian and two new mates to bring closure to his life that might actually help put an end to this new plague.

Ian and Eric are best friends. Ian also has a secret crush on Eric. While hanging out at the mall an emergency alert goes off indicating a mandatory evacuation and Ian winds up falling backwards into a fountain and cracking his head, unfortunately turning him into one of the infected. He has no idea where Eric went and is still in a brain fog when he stumbles upon Angel, a teenage survivalist who is there foraging for supplies. She helps Ian understand what has happened and informs him how he can survive going forward. Along the way the two add Monica, a disabled teen that knew Ian when they were growing up. These three team up on a hunt to find Eric so that Ian can gain answers before completely falling under the spell of whatever has him changed.

Author Natalie Leif invests the reader from page one into the life of Ian. You truly want him and Eric to reconcile and learn what actually went down that left Ian dead and Eric gone. You also are desperate to find out if Eric feels the same way about Ian, romantically. Plus, you have to admit that Angel and Monica are pretty unique traveling companions. Where the story fails is truly investing readers in Ian as a person in same way where you want the characters of “The Walking Dead” to make their way in this dystopian world. There is a real lack of connection to his backstory with his family. All we know about them, eventually, is that they have left him behind when the evacuation began, and he feels like they are more concerned about his wellbeing without expressing their love enough. Also, why is it more important for Ian to find Eric rather than reunite with his family? Yes, there is an unspoken love between this duo, but I think given the current circumstances I’d rather reconcile with my mother, father and sister before going gentle into that goodnight. My final qualm comes with the finale. I can’t spoil the resolution but know that I am disappointed that all the major action was left to the imagination.

Take All of Us is a tale of loss and love. While I am not completely satisfied with the tale, it is a page turner to find out if there is a resolution for Ian – heart and health.