Review: The Blondes by Emily Schultz

Hazel Hayes is a grad student living in New York City.  After having an affair with her professor, she learns she is pregnant. On any other ordinary day, at any other time, this news may have had a shimmer of hope with it. However, a devastating illness is wreaking havoc on the city. Women of all ages and economic breakdown are suddenly and mysteriously experiencing fits that transform them into rabid killers.  The only commonality between those infected is the color of their hair: blonde.

I intentionally left the synopsis of this title quite vague, for while the mysterious illness that ravages women with blonde hair is certainly an important factor, it’s simply the mechanism that launches Schultz into this truly phenomenal literary thriller.  Like the phenomenal Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, the message and impact of  The Blondes goes far beyond the cause of the impending apocalypse. As a matter of fact, her explanation of the illness is quite vague. Scientists think only blondes are affected but aren’t definite. They thing the illness is spread by fleas but, then again, they aren’t certain.  This move of Shultz’s is intentional. Instead, she wants you to focus on the impact versus the cause and explanation.

The role of women in society, the relationships between women, and what defines beauty are clear themes of discussion in this novel.  While I could have devoured this book in a matter of hours, instead I chose to take breaks as I read, contemplating the consequences and impact of the way women are viewed in society.  We don’t have to suspend disbelief when reading this novel, for while an infection of this magnitude may be wholly implausible, society’s reaction to it is not.

I could delve deeper into the intricacies that make up this truly monumental read, yet it is really up to the reader to read and experience on their own.  It is one that will have a lasting impact, one that has certainly remained with me days after I finished reading it. Highly, highly recommended.