[READ: Summer 2021] The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
I loved the name of this book. The fact that it was put out by Quirk Books was a major plus.
This book was read by Bahni Turpin and she was magnificent. I was hooked right from the start. I loved her Southern accents and the way she made each character unique and easily recognizable.
In the preface to the book, Hendrix explains that this novel is a kind of apology for his earlier novel My Best Friend’s Exorcism. In that novel teenagers were the protagonists and parents were cast as trouble for them. He felt the need to address the concerns of the parents this time around.
I love the way the characters clearly love their children but are also realistic about them: “Being a teenager isn’t a number,” says Maryellen. “It’s the age when you stop liking them.”
The story opens in a hilarious way.
It’s 1988 and Grace Cavanaugh had started a book club, She wanted all of the women in her circle to read the classics. This month’s book was Cry, The Beloved Country. Grace was the quintessential Southern woman. Her house was perfect. Her thick pile carpets were white and immaculate (the way she inwardly cringes as cheese straws land on the carpet is hilarious). She did not allow for anything improper. She expected people to do what was proper. Like finish the book club book.
The story zooms in on Patricia Campbell. She needed the book club, But she did not read the book.
She was given twenty minutes to talk about the book. And the way she tries to stretch it out is hilarious. Eventually Grace calls her out on it. And is very disappointed in her. Soon enough, though, the other women reveal that they didn’t read it either.
On her way to her car Patricia is stopped by Kitty Scruggs, another book club woman. She invites Patricia to join the book club that she has just started. It’s going to be her and Slick Paley, a conservative Christian (with an amazing accent, thank you Bahni) who seems dumb but is far from dumb, and Maryellen, a Yankee transplant (who has a very different accent which is nice to hear). Eventually, even Grace joins because they are going to be reading the most salacious true crime books they can find.
Each of the women is married and their families are very different. Patricia’s husband is straight-laced. Her daughter is just old enough to be sarcastic to her and her son, Blue (that name is explained about 3/4 of the way through the book) has suddenly become obsessed with Nazis. Basically, she needs these women.
Five years later, the book club is still going and the women feel closer to each other than ever (although Patricia doesn’t feel super close to Grace, because who could, really). Then one night, a night that Blue didn’t take out the garbage, Patricia walks to where the cans are stored and is attacked. The assailant is an old woman. She acts crazy and even though Patricia knows her, she can’t talk sense into her. The old woman bites off part of her ear (which becomes quite a conversation piece, obviously).
The old woman dies in the hospital and soon, her nephew James Harris is staying in her house, trying to take care of things for her. Harris is a mysterious guy, but he is very friendly. I enjoyed the way that Patricia was able to help him out with some of the local information that he needed. She wrote a check for him to help him open a bank account (they wouldn’t accept cash to start the account). She also drove him because he has a sensitivity to light that makes it very hard for him to go out into the day.
Obviously there is a vampire in this story–the title is a giveaway. And I was surprised at just how dark and violent the story got. When it started out I was convinced that S. would love the book. The tone was funny, the characters were well thought out and enjoyable. And then it got so dark and violent that I knew she would never be able to handle it. So don’t be fooled by the awesome tone, this is a bloody, gross, violent story (like the true crime novels they read).
But a great thing about the story is that the vampire is not a standard vampire–sure there are some basics that are the same, but this vampire is not the Nosferatu, fangs and bats kind of vampire. In fact, if it weren’t for vampires being in the title, this character would probably not be considered a vampire–although what other name would there be?
Soon enough, though, the monster has infiltrated the community. It has fooled everyone–it becomes a trusted businessperson. It is smart and generous. It is even good with the kids.
The first person to notice that something is up is Patricia’s mother-in-law. She believes she knows the creature from when she was a little girl. Of course, the old lady is pretty much senile, so no one believes her.
But soon enough Patricia does. However, she can’t convince her friends that there is an actual threat in their midst. Grace is unwilling to accept it; Kitty is maybe on board but she is overwhelmed at home; Slick obviously believes in the devil, (she throws a party on Halloween celebrating Martin Luther instead of Halloween) but she can’t quite accept the fact that a monster is real.
Slowly, Patricia starts to tell people what she suspects. And people do not believe her. Worst of all, her husband does not believe her. Despite everything she has done for the family, her husband doubts her. He doubts her so much that he wants to put her on Prozac.
The one person who is on board is Patricia’s mother-in-law’s caretaker Ursula. There’s a fascinating story about how Ursula arrived at Patricia’s house (the women do help each other). But it also shows the underlying racism inherent in the town. Ursula is black and none of these white women have ever been to where she lives. Nor have they been aware of all of the young black children who have died or committed suicide recently. Ursula believes that the monster is responsible for the kids’ deaths. The racism at the heart of this monster is staggering. It runs very deep and Hendrix is happy to expose it all.
Eventually there is a confrontation (as the title indicates) and it is scary and grotesque as anything (the scene where Patricia is in the attic and there are bugs and dead things everywhere is genuinely horrifying). And the final scenes are shockingly detailed in their violence. Oh, and the way the monster attacks people is remarkably discomforting.
I came away from this book wanting to read more by Grady Hendrix. And definitely hearing more books by Bahni Turpin.
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