Pure by Julianna Baggott

Pure (Book 1)
by Julianna Baggott
February 2012
Grand Central Publishing

Burn a pure and breathe the ash.
Take his guts and make a sash.
Twist his hair and make a rope.
And use his bones to make Pure soap.


I'm not going to lie, this is one freaky book.  All the horrors of nuclear war are brought to life in this post-apocalyptic novel.  Instead of somewhat healthy characters cheerfully bemoaning their fate and scrounging for food, these characters simply survive, melted to the things they were using or standing next to when the bombs went off.  Bicycles, birds, and even their children.  Fused to the baby doll she was holding, Pressia lives in the ashes of this demolished world.  However, she derives hope from gazing at the massive dome which houses those who made it inside before the world ended.  The people inside are "pure", completely unscathed and unmarked by the war.  The pure have promised to come back for all the wretches outside the dome.  But it's taking too long . . .

For someone who has studied the effects of the bombs dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki this book was truly terrifying.  Unlike most post-apocalyptic fiction, this one really does allow the reader to get a feel for what nuclear fallout would be like.  Due to some of the graphic wartime images, I don't recommend this one for anyone not emotionally mature enough to handle it.  This book is disturbing to say the least.  But also thought-provoking and heartbreaking in all the right ways.  For more dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction, check out this list.

Pure Books
Pure
Fuse (TBR)
Burn (TBR)