“ ‘I wanted love and goodness in this which is living death,’ I said. ‘It was impossible from the beginning, because you cannot have love and goodness when you do what you know to be evil, what you know to be wrong. You can only have the desperate confusion and longing and the chasing of phantom goodness in its human form…’ “
I’ve always been afraid to read this book or watch the movie. I don’t do well with the horror/supernatural genre in general, but since I liked Twilight and LOVED Dracula, I thought I might as well try Anne Rice’s book for the R.I.P. Challenge. I read it in a period of only two days. It was sufficiently creepy, much creepier than Twilight of course, but not nearly as bad as I feared it would be. I actually enjoyed the book much more than I thought I would, as I am a complete wimp when it comes to this genre.
Minor spoilers ahead….
First of all, I’m surprised that this was Anne Rice’s first book. It’s very well written, and from everything I’ve heard and read online, it’s probably her best novel. The main characters – Lestat, Louis, and Claudia – really do come ‘alive’ on the page (hee hee – little vampire joke there). I found Claudia to be especially creepy and am looking forward to seeing how well she is portrayed by Kirsten Dunst in the movie. I hated Lestat at first, but I did feel sympathy for him in the end. It did seem that he cared more for Louis than he let on, and vice versa. Louis does seem to be a mystery, always wanting good and hating himself for the evil he does. I am glad that we’re left wondering a bit if the ‘love’ he has with Armand, though, is erotic or simple companionship. If it’s the former, I’m glad Rice wasn’t explicit in this regard. I’m very curious to see how these relationships play out on screen with Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Antonio Banderas. Interesting casting choices there! I’ve read that Rice was pleased with the movie so that’s encouraging.
I’m not sure if I’ll continue to read any of Rice’s other novels in the Vampire Chronicles, but I am interested in her latest religious books and her memoir. I’m intrigued by her turning from atheism to Christianity and do want to find out more about that aspect of her life.
Recommended for Twilight fans and fans of vampire fiction.
1976, 340 pp.
