The Splits: A Novel

by M.V. Clark

Lockdown is over. Now the nightmare begins.

When a mysterious zombie outbreak hits 1960s London, journalist Anna investigates—never imagining how close it will come to invading her own family.

It begins when her loving sister Claire voices concern about her brooding young son Michael. Anna tries to balance reporting on the disease with supporting Claire, but the Splits proves to have a sinister staying power. It is not just the bodies of the sick that linger in a horrifying half-life. Their tortured minds cling on too - as ghosts.

The only person to see the ghosts is a teenager called Lupe. When her path crosses Anna’s, a fatal set of events is set in motion, pulling in other unforgettable characters – zombie hunter Susmit, and kind-hearted dreamer Patrick. Amid personal turmoil and the Splits' unrelenting grip, the tale plunges into darkness.

At once a gripping horror thriller and a nuanced examination of survival and resilience, The Splits explores the monsters—both supernatural and human—that can rupture families, identities, sanity itself.
Critics say:

A STYLE AND ENERGY WHICH SETS IT APART… THIS BOOK POPS.” Jay Wilburn, author of Beautiful Darkness

“THE RELATIONSHIPS AND DIALOGUE ARE SPOT ON…AN AMBITIOUS STORY THAT IS COMPLEX AND ORIGINAL.” Phantasmagoria Magazine

“FANTASTIC WRITING, CLEVER AND BALLSY NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE - A MASTERFUL BUNDLE OF TENSION.” Horror World & Reviews

Readers say:

"Chilling yet strangely comforting... truly a book for our times."

"Beautifully written and deeply unsettling."

“Left me dazed and wanting more.”

“Detailed and cinematic, vivid and plausible.”

“Compelling story-telling.”

“Totally believable.”

“I kept looking it up to see if it was a true story.”

Genres: Horror

396 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 9, 2017

About the author

MV Clark grew up in London, and worked in journalism for 18 years before writing The Splits, which is her first novel.

She is currently writing another book in the universe of the Splits.

Her new work explores how and where our minds and bodies meet by putting the question to the ultimate stress test - what if there was a zombie outbreak in a brothel?

Sign up to her newsletter at thesplitsarchive.com to get updates.

MV lives in West Sussex with her husband and two children. Given the chance she would watch a horror film every night.

Reviews

[Erin Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally I’m not much of a zombie fan but when I do I like the ones that tend to take things in a different direction such as the Mountain Man or White Trash Zombie canons. On that level this book did not disappoint. The Splits was like a zombie thriller with a masters degree! The writing was informed and became a series of literary breadcrumbs that I was compelled to follow until the end of the book. It was a little jarring to figure out who the speaker was in the different chapters because there was no distinct sense of tone or Voice but eventually that became a known issue and I was able to get back into the story. I also give a huge thumbs up to the fact that the female leads in the story don’t serve as window dressing or victim fodder. I highly recommend this novel and yes, I can totally see Marisa Tomei playing the lead!

[M.M. Wedin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on a zombie-story. It was refreshing, unique, and had interesting characters and layers. Could feel a little slow and lacking vivid descriptions at times, but it didn't stop me from wanting to read on. Clever debut, good job!

[Yuuki Nakashima · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Splits is an infectious disease that makes people zombie-like. The story started with some grotesque and thrilling scenes, so I expected that it would be a clichéd zombie survival horror at the beginning. But it wasn't!
It focused more about the disease itself and problems related it that one family had. It was not like popcorn entertainment-type of horror and was much calmer than I expected. However, it was not monotonous and had some thrilling scenes, so I didn't get bored at all. And I really liked the ending.
I felt it was a good mixture of Western and Japanese horror with psychological horror. I enjoyed it so much!!

(I received this book from the author for an honest review.)

[Helen Womersley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A talented debut with many layers and voices. This clever novel somewhat turns the genre on its head, this is not an apocalyptic tale, more a study of how society adapts and accepts a new normal.

[Vanishing Vixen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horrific and heartwarming. Beautifully written.

[Cherie Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wavered between giving this book a four- or five-star rating but I erred toward the higher rating due to how well the book was written. I loved the Zombies Dawn of the Dead movies as a teenager, way back in the '80s (yeah, I'm old), and this book was very reminiscent of those tales. Going back even further (erhmm, before my time) the story is also a little similar to The Triffids in regards to how it describes what happens when a deadly disease wipes out most of a population in a very short period of time.

My only quibble with the book was with how each chapter was written from a different POV. I have used this tactic myself when writing, but in this case, there were SO MANY POVs that I got myself a little scrambled. I am also not a fan of books that list the age, rank, and serial number of characters pre-first chapter but hey, Stephen King has done it before so who am I to question it?

If you are into Zombies and gore and shocking deaths (with a solid story as the foundation and baseline, a great writing style, and a nice plot twist to even it all out), The Splits is the book for you.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn by the book title and the sensation that it could actually be a real scientific report of Zombism or the like. The book reads indeed prosaic and describes the outbreak of a new illness from 1969 over more than four decades until today through the eyes of Anna, a journalist, and other characters. As so often when POV is changing, I would have wished the author changed the writing style a bit to take the different characters' perspectives into account. But nevertheless, it was an interesting read that evoke the feeling I was hoping for – what if this really happen(ed)?
On the downside, I couldn't buy into the paranormal aspect of the illness and the “split” which dampened the experience for me. Also, the origin of the disease is not revealed, although in the end, there is a little light on patient zero.
Bottom line: It couldn't convince my scientific side but it was a very interesting idea for the story and an inventive new concept to Zombies.

[Shashane Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Splits was disturbing and difficult for me which means the writer did a great job and I'll tell you why. Horror is a new read for me and I waded in carefully. I usually stay away from horror because it makes me feel like I'm having a panic attack. Eyeballs popping out of their sockets, gnawing on somebody's stomach, are all things that almost had me gagging but then again, I've what they call "a weak stomach." The book had gruesome details that made my throat feels like it was closing up on me so if that's what you're looking for, then you'll find this book to your liking. If you're into the Walking Dead and such shows, zombie apocalypse, then you will enjoy this book. The story is told in a journalistic style which makes the book seem more credible for the way events unfold and the stories are told. It feels authentic.I think the author did a good job.

[Keith Lister · Rating 5 out of 5]

It normally takes me a while to get through a book, but once I started reading this, I managed to polish it off in less than two days. The format initially reminded me of World War Z, but takes a much more personal look at how the characters are affected by the crisis as it progresses from 1969 too the present day. The characters are remarkable and unremarkable, sympathetic and unsympathetic, but always believable and intriguing. The explanations for the crisis offered along the way do not suspend your belief too much (no voodoo our rage-infected monkeys here) and the ultimate explanation is both unique and, not a little surprising. No unbridled gore here. Instead a much more thought-provoking take on the Z-word.

[Augustine Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Scientific Take On the Zombie Phenomenon

The Splits—a notable debut—written with an impressive journalistic touch, is an intellectual take on the zombie phenomenon. Imbued with dogged scientific research, political ineptitude, and an unabashed intrusion of a few charlatans, it is, however, a human story. A striking human story, of two sisters—one, a gullible mom and wife, the other an unambitious reporter who soon stumbles into the trap she’d dreaded all her life and ends up a single mom.

An entertaining yet thought-provoking read. This psychological zombie novel, though inundated at times with gratuitous details, is a world away from the stale clichés of the zombie saga. What’s more, it has an unpredicted twist in the tale.

[John Coon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a fresh take on the zombie genre, this book delivers. This isn't your typical mindless zombie horde destroying civilization in the snap of the finger. M.V. Clark frames the disease in the book like a realistic pandemic. The writing is journalistic and feels polished which makes it easier to get engrossed in the story. Anna, Claire, Michael, and Patrick all feel like real people. The story is quite shocking in parts and offers up an unexpected twist late in the narrative. Horror fans will enjoy reading The Splits and should put it near the top of their to-read list.

[Emily J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of The Splits through the Goodreads Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review. This was such an interesting, semi-plausible twist on the standard zombie apocalypse novel! I really had no idea what to expect and kept my expectations to a minimum, but I was so impressed by M.V. Clark's work - I found myself so disappointed at the end of the book because I wanted to learn more about the Splits disease itself how it affected society.

[Carlynne Toomey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a GREAT book! I can't even begin to describe how happy I am that I got to read this. It is unlike any zombie story I've ever read, or seen in a movie franchise. On top of the awesome story, the writing style is mature and is a real pleasure to read. I can't recommend this enough for zombie fans that are tired of the same old, same old!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Livvy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The splits is different from any other zombie book's I've read. Most it's the end of the world but the author did totally different. The splits a infectious disease that make people act normal and has different stages. The author did amazing job putting this book together. Very well detailed with all science stuff in it.

[pamela rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personality disorder on steroids!

I really enjoyed this nove!. Sat up all night reading it.Finally finished this morning. Different take on Zombies. Would recommend this book to everyone. It has aspects that would appeal to a lot of people, maybe not hardcore romance fans lol!

[Catherine McGhee-Longbottom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book

There wasn't many reviews when I started reading this but thought I'd give it a read. Fantastic original novel. Loved it

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving the part of this book I read 3 stars because it skips around amongst different people and different plot threads SO much it is a hard story to follow. I could not finish my copy because part of it was missing making it so I can't rate the entire book. My copy of this book says "Novel," not "Half Novel." Nowhere does it indicate this is a sample copy and, besides, most samples stop after a short time of reading. After reading on this book for three days I was very disappointed to reach a page that said if I wanted to see the ending I had to go to Amazon and pay money. I get books so many different places that I don't know where I picked this one up, but, I know I picked it up with the understanding it was the "entire" novel. After all, that's what the cover says. To not label the cover as if it's a partial book is a bit extortive, in my opinion. Although the first chapter was good, which is why I kept reading the book, the jumbled storyline is not good enough to pay for just to find out the ending. If a book is going to swim in the vast literary sea of zombie books it needs a more coherent approach to the storytelling else it is going to drown under the weight of vast competition.

[Lyndsey Gollogly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was totally different to your average zombie infection read. I really enjoyed it. The characters and their lives were so interesting and it was definitely a different take on what makes a “zombie”. Very clever writing.

[Kelsey Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm stuck between a 3.5 and a 4. It was a slow burn and some of the content was a little too political for me, but it really picked up in the end and I liked a few of the discoveries.

[Candy Robosky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited by the blurb but found the book really slow moving. Covering 40 years in this book, made it a little much. At times it was hard to follow as to why she spent so much time on some characters while the story was lacking in other areas. It took me a long time to get through and found it still leaving me wanting.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.