Book Review: Parasite

Based on her memories, Sal Mitchell is only six years old. She woke up from a coma remembering NOTHING. She had to learn to read, write, walk, talk, she was a real blank slate. It's believed her recovery is all thanks to a parasite that was implanted in pre-crash Sally's body.

Parasite is set in the year 2027, when having a parasite has become all the rage -- after all, they saved us. Due to over-medication, lots of vaccines, and fear of dirt (simplistic terms here), medicine wasn't working anymore.

Just that kept me reading because it really is kind of becoming a problem...did you hear that antibiotics don't work (or will eventually stop working) against superbugs and pharmaceutical companies aren't doing anything about it because it doesn't make them money? (Again bringing it back to the basics.)

The REALLY scary stuff starts happening when the "sleeping sickness" starts spreading across the country. No one knows what's causing it and no one knows who it will hit next....creepy, no? I mean, parasites living inside people by choice and scary sicknesses with no known cause or cure...eek!

When I started reading a few readalikes came to mind:

Oryx and Crake -- because science is scary and pigoons and Crakers seem to go with optional parasites to keep people healthy in my head.
The 5th Wave -- because aliens and parasites are related and they live inside us. Wait, what?!
The Host -- (kind of obvious here) because both books have parastic things living inside bodies.

- Melissa (Downtown)