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A review by alyssereads
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
4.0
I almost put this down at around the 30% mark because I wasn’t connecting with the characters and I felt like the story was going in a direction I didn’t expect or really care for. I’m really glad I forged through the low point though. The 4/5 stars is mainly because of that sag in the early half, but everything else around it is great.
I went into this book expecting some subversion of the desperate housewives troupe. The first few chapters sets you up to think that Patricia is going to have some secret sexy rendezvous with the James Harris. But I was pleasantly surprised at her characterization. I do think she makes some brain-dead decisions at points, but she is a good character with a real love for her family, friends and community. I did have some serious laughs at the two scenes of Patricia trying to convey meaning to Carter via eye contact and him just completely missing it.
I think Hendrix does grope around some of the heavier aspects of his story. I’m particular, racism is used more as an ornament and less as a serious conversation topic. The black characters are largely flat. Their experiences and opinions are unexplored. As a whole, the book uses an effective amount of gore and imagery to be scary but seems to stumble through its more serious and nuanced topics. I would recommend if you’re looking for an easy and entertaining horror read, but don’t expect it to dig too deeply into racism or misogyny.
I went into this book expecting some subversion of the desperate housewives troupe. The first few chapters sets you up to think that Patricia is going to have some secret sexy rendezvous with the James Harris. But I was pleasantly surprised at her characterization. I do think she makes some brain-dead decisions at points, but she is a good character with a real love for her family, friends and community. I did have some serious laughs at the two scenes of Patricia trying to convey meaning to Carter via eye contact and him just completely missing it.
I think Hendrix does grope around some of the heavier aspects of his story. I’m particular, racism is used more as an ornament and less as a serious conversation topic. The black characters are largely flat. Their experiences and opinions are unexplored. As a whole, the book uses an effective amount of gore and imagery to be scary but seems to stumble through its more serious and nuanced topics. I would recommend if you’re looking for an easy and entertaining horror read, but don’t expect it to dig too deeply into racism or misogyny.