On my way to London, I finished this book. I saw the movie about a week before–when I hadn’t read the ending yet–and enjoyed it. Who can go wrong with Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst, and Antonio Banderas?
Book 7: Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice
Now before you leave this page in disgust, let me remind you that this was written and popular before Stephanie Meyer and the teenage-angst-and-sparkling-vampire stories. It’s true to lore, and this time set in the vampire’s perspective. A boy manages to interview a vampire named Louis (think French like “Loo-ey,” not “Loo-is” as my boyfriend pointed out was the wrong pronunciation), who was a plantation owner in New Orleans during the time of slavery. The book tells the story of his life, from being turned into a vampire to the present-day.
What I found most interesting was how much of the book was focused on the fact that Louis could never let go of one aspect of humanity–his sense of good and evil. Particularly right after being “turned,” he is consumed with the thought that killing humans is wrong, and this leads to problems; a vampire cannot truly live comfortably without human blood. At first it seems that this will wear off, that he will become used to being a vampire and consider killing a normal, daily act. But it never completely does, and other vampires consider him everything from special to weak because of this.
Another aspect of vampires I’ve never heard of is how bonded they can become to one another. It’s not necessarily love, because they can’t experience human emotions. And it’s not a physical attraction, because a vampire’s ultimate pleasure is “the kill,” not any sexual acts with each other. They’re not all solitary creatures; despite their lack of human emotions, they can get lonely–or whatever you call it with vampires–not having any of their kind around. Some seek others, and some turn a human into a vampire for company. And once they have another vampire around, they tend to stay together for years on end.
An interesting side note, comparing the book to the movie, is how the book unashamedly talks about two male vampires living together and loving one another. The same with a male (adult) vampire and a female vampire who he turned at the age of 5. They have a father-daughter love, but as she gets older (in mind, not body) you wonder if it’s something slightly different. Again, none of this love is physical. They just enjoy each others’ company and care about each other. In the movie, these themes are played down a lot. Don’t want the audience to think this is a movie about homosexuality, or god forbid, pedophilia! And of course it’s not. Oh, Hollywood.
I could say much more, but suffice to say, it was a gripping, thematic tale of the traditional vampire. Don’t be fooled by its being labeled as “horror.” It’s not scary as much as it’s grim, and deep philosophical questions are explored which makes it more meaningful than you might expect.