Book Summary and Reviews of One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford

One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford

One Yellow Eye

A Novel

by Leigh Radford

  • Critics' Consensus (10):
  • Published:
  • Jul 2025, 352 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

In this heart-wrenching and unique spin on the zombie mythos, a brilliant scientist desperately searches for a cure after a devastating epidemic while also hiding a monumental secret—her undead husband.

How far would you go to save your marriage? For British scientist Kesta Shelley, there is no limit.

Having always preferred the company of microbes, Kesta has spent her life looking down the barrel of a microscope rather than cultivating personal relationships. But that changed when Kesta met Tim—her cheerleader, her best friend, her absolute everything. So, when he was one of the last people in London to be infected with a perplexing virus that left the city ravaged, Kesta went into triage mode.

Though the government has rounded up and disposed of all the infected, Kesta is able to keep her husband (un)alive—and hidden—with resources from the hospital where she works. She spends her days reviewing biopsy slides and her evenings caring for him, but he's clearly declining. The sedatives aren't working like they used to, and his violent outbursts are becoming more frequent. As Kesta races against the clock, her colleagues start noticing changes in her behavior and appearance. She is withering away, self-medicating with alcohol, and has stopped attending her mandated ZARG (Zombie Apocalypse Recovery Group) meetings. Her care for Tim has spiraled into absolute obsession.

There are whispers of a top-secret lab working on a cure, and Kesta clings to the possibility of being recruited like a lifeline. But can she save her husband before he is discovered? Or worse…will they trigger another outbreak?

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Readers will be moved and thrilled in equal measure by this unique supernatural extravaganza." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Kesta's single-minded focus and increasingly unhinged decisions create a mounting sense of dread and terror to rival any on-page bloodbath. Fans of Our Wives under the Sea (2022), by Julia Armfield, will be thrilled to get their hands on another beautifully written, horror-tinged exploration of love and grief, but the book will likely also be a good fit for readers who enjoyed Sarah Lyons Fleming's Until the End of the World (2013) or Lucy A. Snyder's Sister, Maiden, Monster (2023)." —Booklist (starred review)

"Compulsively readable. A propulsive, page-turning descent into all that is lovely and grotesque about grief, obsession, and love." —Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six

"An equally charming and grim zombie novel about undying love. Every page simmers with exquisite dread. Original and smart and heartfelt, an unmissable debut that blends and transcends genre." —Rachel Harrison, USA Today bestselling author of So Thirsty and Black Sheep

This information about One Yellow Eye was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Leigh Radford

Leigh Radford trained as a broadcast journalist. She produced and presented arts and entertainment content and documentaries for British commercial radio, BBC Radio, The Times, and more. A former book publicist, she is a 2023 graduate of Faber Academy. She is currently developing content for film and television through her production company, Kenosha Kickers.

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