Yes, its very much a soap opera. But its a soap opera about people surrounded by shambling cannibalistic corpses. You cant really go wrong there. Especially when the emphasis is on character, the way it is here. My only fear is that without a specific ending in sight, I sometimes wonder just how long this can go on without losing its power. Its a bleak world, even with the moments of lightness and joy that the characters find, and sometimes its a little daunting to read. If you like fun escapist stories, this isnt the book for you. But you probably already knew that. Read Full Review

There are many deaths in fiction that catch us truly off guard. And The Walking Dead particularly is adept at surprising its readers in the most shocking and devastating of ways when it comes to character deaths. But let us be honest here. We knew this was coming. Carol was simply too unstable to last much longer, and it really is sad. One might also be tempted to condemn her for choosing to opt out while she still had a young daughter who needed her. One might simply write her off as being a head case, a sex fiend, or a lost cause. But to hastily jump to such conclusions is an affront to everybody in the real world who struggles with very real mental illness. I am no diagnostician, but one does not have to be Dr. Phil to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that Carol suffered from some pretty extreme manifestations of mental illness.

Obviously, she had severe depression and overwhelming fears of loneliness. Did you know that some statistics indicate that more people fear being alone than dying? Tragically, Carol was one of those statistics, and those statistics are living, breathing human beings. And some of those human beings have young daughters and friends and families. And despite those very valid reasons to keep breathing, sometimes people are just too far gone to see any other way out but suicide.

Not only was Carol depressed and lonely, but she also seemed to suffer from impulse control issues pertaining to sexual matters (as Billy, Lori, and Rick can confirm all too well). The final apparent ingredient in her fatal cocktail of mental illness was a pervasive sense of shame and unworthiness. This is evident by her defending her ex-husband as a good man even though he physically abused her. It was also her own damaged sense of self-worth that obscured her perception of what the others thought of her. Rick and Lori had just discussed how they should start assuming the best of Carol again as they both admitted that their new messed up world could push people to the boundaries of their sanity. Especially people who already had signs of mental illness going into the zombie apocalypse.

There are no doctors, therapists, or counselors left to seek out for professional help. There are no rehab centers or sponsors or medication prescriptions. There are just zombies and mental illness, mental illness and zombies. A disease that is unable to be treated will all too often end in death. There is a sort of grimly brilliant symbolism at the sight of a hopeless Carol communicating with her new zombie buddy on one side of the fence while her “family” and friends were on the other side having a nice day. On one side of the fence is life; on the other side is death, and like so many who suffer from depression, Carol is stuck on the death side. Does the fact that she is mentally ill excuse her selfish actions? Some would say yes, others would say no, but an affirmative or negative answer does not really matter that much. Carol is still dead, the people who cared about her are still left asking why, and a little girl is still bereft of her mother.

Some people are able to get up each day and face an uncertain world with courage and conviction. Like Maggie and Glenn, they dare to consider having a baby despite all the reasons why Fear tells them not to. Like Andrea, they take the time to teach others how to excel at a skill. Like Hershel, they keep believing in God even though a broken world tells them to just forsake God and despair. People have a resilient knack for finding reasons to keep living even in the midst of the most terrible of circumstances. But sometimes a few poor souls just lose that knack. They stop finding reasons to keep breathing, and so they end up like Carol and leave many a distraught and confused loved one behind.

*If anyone is struggling with mental illness of any variety, PLEASE seek help! Unlike Carol, we are blessed to live in a world where society is not dead. Treatment and counseling is attainable to all those who simply admit they need help (and don’t we all from time to time). Join the living on the OTHER side of the fence and choose life. And know that despite how alone you may feel, there is a God who loves you and people whose world would be shattered without you in it. more