Whitehead’s Zone One has many component that are common to post-apocalytpic zombie texts. Obviously, an important part to the text is the removal of zombies. Also the story is told with kairotic time and the world is trying to rebuild civilization despite an unstable central government. However, this book is not like most zombie novels, instead of gore and thrill, emotions and personality play a larger role.

The idea of Post Apocalypse Stress Disorder makes the story more realistic (or as realistic as a zombie book could be). Most zombie stories have the survivors rising to the challenge easily, mourning for there losses at first but then immediately becoming zombie slaying machines. PASD and the constant flashbacks examine how individually shattering an apocalypse would be.

The zombies also change the idea of what zombies are. While some can be dangerous, most of them are just “stragglers” and are easy to take care of. The protagonist is certainly not the hero that most people are used to. He is a mediocre guy, but it’s okay because the post apocalyptic world isn’t special either. All this makes it seem like an apocalypse wouldn’t change much in the way life goes on. Despite civilization being turned on its head, people continue mundane lives, completing monotonous tasks that they’ve simply fallen into.