None For All, All For None

Aaron Lam

The Enemy

By Charlie Higson

Imagine yourself back at the age of 9 again. Everything was simpler, where people around you supported you and helped you. Now imagine everything you knew and love just vanished. There is nothing and will forever be nothing for as long as you go forward. The Enemy by Charlie Higson not only shows how society has fallen, but also how it struggles to regain what it had lost. The story takes place in London after a national disaster had struck it. The main cast of characters are a group of children that are living in a post-apocalyptic setting. Due to a virus that affects people over a certain age, the group consists entirely of children, ranging from elementary age to adolescence. The story reminds the reader of the perspective of the children where a dying child says, “‘I love you, Mom,’” (Pg 161) as his final words. Most adults had become zombies, while a small amount remained normal at the cost of turning to cannibalism to prevent being turned.

The use of children in the story creates both a different atmosphere as well as more tension. Children tend to be more irrational than an adult in terms of important decisions. Often in the book, the kids would put themselves over the benefit of the entire group. Some of the cast, such as Arran, had many qualities that proved he was suitable to be a leader but this ended when he has his untimely death. Arran’s death was not a noble one as he died both delirious and extremely agitated. “He couldn’t have shot himself. He tried to laugh, but it hurt too much. What was going on?” (Pg 143) Arran was in a fit of rage and was confused due to a previously untreated injury. His replacement was his second in command Maxie who lacked the same leadership like qualities Arran had due to her emotions taking charge rather than her head. “Maxie gave a bitter, slightly hysterical laugh” (pg 165).  Maxie shows traits of mistrust within her own group, which will create a weak leadership. Her downfall was continuously holding grudges against the people who accidentally killed Arran. The second half of the book begins to get tedious as the amount of tension begins to dwindle down. The book sets up a solid interpretation of a post apocalyptic scenario with a twist of having only children as survivors.

This book fills a niche quality within the post apocalyptic genre, basically creating a “what if” scenario. There are details that go into detail that appear more unsettling than those in a normal story about children. The pacing of the story is odd due to the constant change in perspective that the book does. One chapter would be with the main character, the next chapter would be going back to a minor character that hasn’t been seen since the beginning of the book. This pacing would break the immersion as well as being a cheap trick for suspense.