Phantasmagoria Issue 7

Anna is a journalist in 1969 when the first outbreak of the Splits occurs. Patient zero was reported in America leaving its victim in a zombie state - aggressive, uninhibited and with a reckless nature. And now the disease has found its way to England. The streets of London are not safe, the police have to resort to shooting victims in the head. London is put on lock down and residents are told to stay inside whilst the outbreak is dealt with.

Alone in her flat with no food, Anna takes a chance and loots a neighbour’s kitchen. Unaware the family have all succumbed to the Splits, Anna is startled by the family’s grandmother and accidentally cuts herself. Returning home she is consumed by the fear that she may have contracted the disease or worse still, is a carrier of it. She confides in no one, not even her younger sister Claire.

Claire has her own fears about the disease. Whilst on a beach with her husband Martin she comes into contact with a grey ichor-like substance. Although she cleans it off her hands, she is unable to shake the idea that it has made its way into her system and will affect her unborn baby.

Patrick is a young poet who meets Anna when she is asked to interview him because he has survived contact with a Splits victim. During lock down Patrick sees a distressed woman walking the streets and calling for her child. He goes out to help her and realises that she’s infected but still lucid and looking for her daughter, Lupe. When he relates this story to Anna she knows who this child is and asks Patrick if he can tell the family. Subsequently, Anna and Patrick marry but she never divulges her fear that she may have the Splits to him.

The story then follows the evolution of the Splits and its effect on not only its victims but also the way it is dealt with scientifically. Centring around Anna, the family and friends that are her life, we follow the story from the original outbreak in 1969 until 2015. It is an intricate tale that shows both the human perspective and the scientific view. Often showing how they can overlap and muddy the waters.

As the reader, I felt this book lost momentum at times. This is because for me the scientific reports (that are part of the story and track the disease's course) diverged from a well-written storyline. I know they were necessary but they were written with too much jargon, which deterred me as a reader.

I did however like the character of Anna and her back story and I equally felt empathy for the other characters because I could identify with them. The way that varying types of relationships and dialogue are written is spot on, and totally believable. MV Clarke has written an ambitious story that is complex and original. I have to say for a debut novel it is really good and I would definitely read subsequent novels by her.

Helen Scott