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A review by readingwryly
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This is the first time I have ever been truly triggered from a book. Yes, it is set in the 1990’s. Yes, things were a bit different then. I see what the author was trying to do. However, there were feminist themes that I thought were poorly executed. Also, the middle 60% of this book could have not existed.
That being said, there were a few redeeming qualities about this novel, for me:
I loved that our heroine was a middle aged suburban mom.
I loved that book club (and books in general) was an ongoing theme throughout.
I thought the gore in the last 100 pages was done well (though I was not a fan of the rape).
He was successful (from my white perspective, anyway) in the discussion he was trying to have about race, and the disparity between how the white families and the black families were treated. I believed, though it seemed harsh, that the intent was to encourage rage for the injustice of that disparity and was done in good faith.
I believe this was also true with respect to the feminist commentary, though this attempt was less successful.
The subversion of women throughout this novel, took its toll on me and triggered me on a deep level. So for that, I had to mark this down to a 2⭐️ read. But I think other people without my specific biases may find this much more spectacular than I did. That being said, regardless of personal triggers, the pacing of this novel was a big bummer.
That being said, there were a few redeeming qualities about this novel, for me:
I loved that our heroine was a middle aged suburban mom.
I loved that book club (and books in general) was an ongoing theme throughout.
I thought the gore in the last 100 pages was done well (though I was not a fan of the rape).
He was successful (from my white perspective, anyway) in the discussion he was trying to have about race, and the disparity between how the white families and the black families were treated. I believed, though it seemed harsh, that the intent was to encourage rage for the injustice of that disparity and was done in good faith.
I believe this was also true with respect to the feminist commentary, though this attempt was less successful.
The subversion of women throughout this novel, took its toll on me and triggered me on a deep level. So for that, I had to mark this down to a 2⭐️ read. But I think other people without my specific biases may find this much more spectacular than I did. That being said, regardless of personal triggers, the pacing of this novel was a big bummer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting