10 Questions About Weep & the Post-Apocalyptic Genre

Ray McBride is working on a video essay looking at Irish Zombie fiction. The central topic he’s exploring is how the zombie -- in apocalyptic fiction -- is often used as a metaphor to critique aspects of society. In the video, he’ll be looking at this from an Irish context. Trying to draw from as large a swath of zombie media as possible, looking at Irish zombie films and novels. Ray sent me over a few questions regarding Weep to get a sense of my inspiration for the book and get my thoughts on the genre as a whole.

Check out his channel. Below is Teresa Mannion reporting on an Irish zombie outbreak. It had me in stitches as she’s mentioned in Weep as well.

1 You’ve written other novels in different genres. What drew you to the zombie horror sub-genre?

Before Weep, horror was not a genre I was overly familiar with. The banshee from Darby O’Gill and the Little People traumatised me when I was younger, so that’ll give you a gauge of where my terror tolerance is. Weep was more an idea that I wanted to develop into a story, rather than wanting to write something to fit a specific genre. Zombie horror is a great place to explore what normal people would do in extraordinary circumstances.

My only experience with zombies before reading up on the genre for Weep, came in the form of games, movies and television. I do have a fondness for zombie stories though. It’s a fantasy that works because it’s not too far removed from reality. It’s primarily a study of what severe isolation and grief can do to a character. What can a person go through before they’re reduced to little more than a zombie? Zombies essentially take away everything about modern life; family, friends, obligations, pleasures and distractions. It’s a form of escapism where there is no escape. The character has to get on with things and change, or die. The zombie acts as an unrelenting force, the story becomes human versus nature. I suppose I love watching and reading about characters that lose everything and once they’ve overcome their grief, they start to wonder who they are without their routines and interpersonal bonds. It’s a death of self in a way, all forms of external validation are removed and the character has to reach a point where they are self-sufficient and they don’t need to look beyond themselves for validation.

2 Did you use any aspects of contemporary culture as inspiration while writing the novel?

Honestly, I don’t think I set out with anything specific in mind. I suppose I was interested in exploring how people have isolated themselves through a culture of individualism. How we have more ways of staying connected, yet people still feel alone. So in Weep you take away these brittle forms of communication and watch as people try to re-engage with others.

3 After the novel was complete, did you recognise any elements of contemporary culture or politics that you may have inadvertently added into the story?

After the novel was published, I had a few comments asking if it was an allegory for Brexit. I’m almost nostalgic for those comparisons because then Covid-19 sent the world into lockdown. On reflection, I think there are elements of immigration touched upon in the book. I remember while I was writing it, the front pages of many newspapers often carried stories about asylum seekers and refugees. There was a general sense of scaremongering, or at least, that’s what I thought. Until something terrible happened, like a body washing up on a beach. Then the narrative changed. There was more of an emphasis on what they were fleeing, compared to the potential impact of so many new people entering a country. But nothing seemed horrific enough to linger for long. The papers soon went back to giving off a grim vibe. 

Now, I know very little about the topic of immigration. My engagement with it was quite literally surface level, as I just scanned the covers while in the shop. It made me wonder about what the feeling would be on newspapers across the world if the people of Ireland were seeking asylum. The modern Irish diaspora seems to be looked upon well by everybody. Ireland has this image as the sweetheart of the world. So what would happen to its people if they needed help? How horrible does something have to be for it to stick around in society's psyche? When does a cost/benefit conversation make sense when talking about saving lives? It’s something I’d like to explore more in future Weep books.

4 There are elements and references in Weep that seemed to conjure imagery associated with the famine. Was this intentional? Either way, care to discuss?

I was trying to conjure imagery associated with the famine. The third book has the working title ‘Feast & Famine,’ so I’ll definitely be delving deeper into that part of Irish history for inspiration. I’m looking forward to seeing how that goes down with readers. Pulling back on the zombie aspect and making the new antagonist hunger. Showing what that can do to a human. Perhaps that will be more poignant considering famine isn’t fictional.

5 Were you exploring any particular theme while writing the novel? 

Ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances was what I set out to explore. I suppose you can’t write a post-apocalyptic story without touching on loss, loneliness, isolation and friendship. In Weep, the main character Fin chooses to isolate himself from family and loved ones to work over the Christmas holiday for more money. He has his phone to stay somewhat connected with them, which works as an emotional analgesic. He surrounds himself with distractions and jumps from one form of escapism to another. Yet when communication becomes difficult during the epidemic, his main driving force is a need for family and real connection. When phones die and there’s no power to charge computers, how many ghosts are gone from memory cards? His experiences are digitised and he spends most of his time at a screen distance away from reality. I was interested in writing about what would happen if all of that was gone.

6 If yes, did this theme change through the process of writing or did it remain consistent?

Did it change? I suppose it kind of stayed consistent. It was an interesting way of looking at loneliness and isolation in modern society. Saying you feel alone in a crowd is a cliche now. We’re surrounded by people - well, we were before lockdown. Yet, we have more ways of staying in touch. In Weep, Fin, Rebecca and George all work together, yet they’re essentially strangers. Personally, I don’t really enjoy post-apocalyptic stories that have an average Joe becoming a commando. I’m interested in exploring what a normal person would do in these horrible circumstances. You want the reader to wonder ‘what is stopping the character from just killing themselves?’ As the characters suffered, the area of interest was more focused on wondering how far a person can be pushed before they break.

7 If Yes, why did you feel a zombie outbreak in Ireland was the best way to explore this theme? 

A zombie outbreak in Ireland is ridiculous. If you look at a map of the country, it’s mostly green fields divided by hedges, walls and fences. I think we’d be grand here to begin with. Though, that said, because population density is a lot lower in much of rural Ireland, the zombies can’t burn through survivors. People will live long enough to go hungry. So you can explore how people might react. Will they come together? Or pull away from others to focus on their own survival?

I’ve lost count of how many times New York has fallen to zombies. I had no interest in setting the story in America, but I was interested in imagining how Americans would treat another country that was becoming a biological hazard, a threat. I’m Irish and it’s rare to find a post-apocalyptic horror set in Ireland, so I thought it was an interesting place to have the story.

Ireland and its culture is celebrated around the world. Irish people don’t really stick out and they easily integrate. It’s not too far removed from other countries in the western world. It’s a neutral and inoffensive place. All of that makes it interesting because you wonder if those considerations would impact how differently people would treat Irish refugees, if at all differently.  

8 Did you use any other media -- be that media zombie-related or not -- as inspiration for elements of the novel?

I used music while writing the story. I find sad melodies and songs really help to cultivate a mood, or atmosphere. I had Conor Walsh and Ludovico Einaudi on repeat throughout most of the first draft stage. 

9 Throughout the 21st century, Zombie media has exploded in popularity. Why do you think that is?

I think there’s a big element of wish-fulfilment about the modern genre. Apocalyptic horror poses an interesting thought experiment; how would I react in that situation?’ It’s the fantasy of a fresh start. Usually the protagonist is somebody that feels like they’ve reached a dead end in their life and there’s no possible way of getting out of it. Then a zombie apocalypse comes along and absolves them of their mortgage repayments. They no longer have to go into a terrible job where they’re underpaid and underappreciated. Perhaps they escape an unhappy marriage. All without a single ounce of guilt. There are no repercussions because they’ve taken no action. It's an absolution from obligation. A magic wand, except instead of winning the lottery, zombies come along and reshape the world. You attain value just by surviving. There isn’t a spaceship waiting to evacuate everyone above a certain IQ or bank balance. It’s a leveller. 

In modern life, you’re never going to get a pat on the back for merely surviving from one day to the next. It’s a given that you’ll likely make it to tomorrow, that is the least that is expected of you. It’s not enough to just exist, you have to strive to be more. Whereas in a zombie apocalypse, just staying alive is an accomplishment.

I think it is so popular because it is the ultimate escape fantasy. The tools to improve your prospects are much more readily available. A masters degree isn’t going to impress a zombie.

10 What’s your favourite zombie film?

Right now it is ‘The Night Eats the World,’ directed by Dominique Rocher. The main character falls asleep at a house party and when he wakes up, the world as he knew it has ended. He’s alone in a large apartment complex in Paris. He slowly pushes back his new boundaries, reclaiming a room, an apartment and then the building. Once he is physically safe and survival is somewhat assured, he then has to focus on his mental health. It’s a study of what despair, hopelessness and loneliness can do to the mind. The ending scene was such a gut punch, though I won’t spoil anything.