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A review by kghunter
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Interesting, fun read that kept me locked in till the end. I like how Hendrix really commits to the perspective of the protagonist in his novels, drastically shifting the protagonist’s positionality between stories and yet it always seems as though he is so familiar with that particular life experience that it is his own. It speaks to his deep familiarity with the region and timeframe (SC in the 80s/90s) in which he sets his books. He’s also, as always, extraordinary at creating a captivating nostalgic world of the pre-Y2K southeastern United States.
One critique I have of this book is how one dimensional the only POC character is. I know there’s intention to properly depict the social reality of the white, middle-aged protagonist in this setting, but the one Black character is given this random bizarre character trait that is left unexplored unlike the traits of the other white women in the book. Throughout the novel I felt she was left as a glaringly one dimensional character in contrast to all the other well fleshed out white characters. Which again could’ve been an intentional immersive tactic on behalf of the author in order to truly convey how the protagonist’s worldview does not allow for BIPOC to be seen as more than one dimensional, but if that were the case I feel the author could’ve done a better job of conveying that throughout the course of the story opposed to simply reproducing the age old racist trope of the 1 dimensional Black character amidst a strong cast of complex white characters.
One critique I have of this book is how one dimensional the only POC character is. I know there’s intention to properly depict the social reality of the white, middle-aged protagonist in this setting, but the one Black character is given this random bizarre character trait that is left unexplored unlike the traits of the other white women in the book. Throughout the novel I felt she was left as a glaringly one dimensional character in contrast to all the other well fleshed out white characters. Which again could’ve been an intentional immersive tactic on behalf of the author in order to truly convey how the protagonist’s worldview does not allow for BIPOC to be seen as more than one dimensional, but if that were the case I feel the author could’ve done a better job of conveying that throughout the course of the story opposed to simply reproducing the age old racist trope of the 1 dimensional Black character amidst a strong cast of complex white characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child death, Racism, and Stalking