Out of Salem

Out of Salem (2019), an LGBT urban fantasy for teenagers by Hal Schrieve, centers on a genderqueer teen who must adjust to life as a zombie after dying in a car crash. Out of Salem received positive critical reviews, and readers praise it for its fresh take on the urban fantasy genre. Schrieve is a genderqueer author who writes books for young adults. Before writing fantasy novels, Schrieve worked as a summer camp counselor, a tutor, an after-school group leader, and a grocer. More than anything, Schrieve wants to be a librarian.

Out of Salem takes place in an alternative 1990s Salem. Here, everyone knows that magic exists, though that doesn’t mean people are happy with it. Witches and other supernatural creatures are discriminated against and blamed for everything that goes wrong in Oregon. One person who knows this well is the protagonist, Z Chilworth.

Z is a 14-year-old witch who lives with their parents and tries to keep their magic hidden. As a genderqueer, Z already faces enough discrimination without adding magic to the picture. Mostly, Z just wants people to accept them for who they are. They know that there is nothing wrong with magic, and they are sick of people wishing that they did not exist.



One night, Z is out in the car with their parents and sisters, when the car goes off the road. The accident kills Z’s parents and siblings instantly. Z wakes up, but doesn’t feel right. Although they’re alive, part of them feels dead and rotting. They look down at themselves and realize that they have changed. They’re a zombie.

Terrified, Z attempts to use magic to fix themselves. Z realizes that zombies can’t use magic properly because they’re stuck in a world between the living and the dead. Z can no longer fully tap into the natural world to stimulate their magical abilities. Lost, confused, and alone, Z realizes that they must now adapt to life as a zombie.

Z’s friends and family mourn the death of Z’s parents and sisters. Not understanding zombies, they don’t want to know Z anymore; they think Z is cursed. Despite Z’s best efforts to prove that they are good and trustworthy, everyone pushes Z away. Z has no option but to find a new family. If Z doesn’t find a human to act as their guardian, the state will take Z away and destroy them for good.



Z approaches a witch, Mrs. Dunnigan. She is a lesbian who lives with her granddaughter, Aysel. Mrs. Dunnigan invites Z to live with them. She plans to help Z adjust to life as a zombie. Aysel, a loner like Z, can’t wait to have a sister who is just like her—different. Aysel isn’t an ordinary teenager, either. She is a werewolf.

Z wonders why they didn’t know about Aysel’s werewolf status before. Aysel admits that she is an unregistered werewolf. Normally, the authorities take werewolves away and lock them in institutions until they can control their shapeshifting. Mrs. Dunnigan didn’t want to subject Aysel to tests and experiments, and so she agreed to keep Aysel’s nature a secret. Z respects Aysel’s differences and they become close friends.

Everything goes well for a while until Z realizes that their body is falling apart. They ask Mrs. Dunnigan for help. She checks Z over, establishing that there is a flimsy magical seal holding Z’s body together. If the seal breaks, Z will be gone forever. Together, Mrs. Dunnigan and Z must find a cure.



Meanwhile, the town goes crazy over the violent murder of a local psychiatrist. The authorities believe that a werewolf is responsible. It is more important than ever that Aysel keeps her nature a secret, because everyone will assume that she’s to blame if they find out she’s an unregistered, uncontrolled werewolf. For a moment, even Z doesn’t know who or what to believe, which almost costs them their friendship with Aysel.

Mr. Holmes, Z and Aysel’s teacher, makes life difficult for them. Becoming, even more, anti-werewolf and anti-witch than usual, he actively encourages students to persecute their supernatural classmates. Mr. Holmes personality change doesn’t last long, however. It is soon revealed that he is a werewolf, and he is the prime subject in the murder investigation. He disappears without a trace and the class never sees him again.

All the while, Mrs. Dunnigan does her best to keep Z and Aysel strong. Understanding the persecution they face, she wants to protect them from it. However, Mrs. Dunnigan dies, and Z’s rotting accelerates. Z understands that Mrs. Dunnigan was part of the seal keeping them together. If they don’t find witches to accept them, and if witches can’t repair the seal tethering them to this world, they’ll die for good. The book ends on an ambiguous note, and we don’t find out what happens to Z.