A sensuous, seductive and tragic tale of love, life and death
Interview with the Vampire is an important and significant book when it comes to vampire mythology. A far cry from the evil and viciously seductive Dracula, Anna Rice’s novel instead introduces the idea of a “vampire with a soul”, coming in the form of its titular character, Louis de Pointe du Lac. After the AMC series changed a lot of the story, and the 1994 movie echoes as a distant memory for many people, reading Interview with the Vampire in 2022 serves as a reminder of how far vampire stories have come.
This book is a classic, and has been influential in many books in this genre. It is a must-read for anyone interested in reading about the history of the romance genre.
Anna Rice’s “The Vampire Chronicles” is a story that relies heavily on the strength of its characters. Anna Rice’s characters are dysfunctional and tormented, and this makes for an exciting read. ..
Interview with the Vampire is a gripping, fast-paced read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The story is full of suspense and surprises, and Claudia’s journey is both heartbreaking and inspiring.
Interview with the Vampire tells the story of a vampire, Louis, and his attempt to tell his story in order to save himself and others from a fate worse than death. In the present day, Louis is talking to a journalist about his endeavours as a vampire and what led him to this apartment to tell his story. However, in an earlier timeline where Lestat has taken over Louis’ life, this interview would not have taken place. In this timeline, Lestat has killed Louis’ family and left him for dead. However, through some unspecified means (possibly blood transfusions from other vampires), Lestat is able to find and track down Louis. He takes advantage of the fact that Louis is now weakened by blood loss in order to force him into an interview.
As Louis struggles to understand his place in the world, he becomes increasingly consumed by anger and hatred for his creator. He plots a way to leave Lestat, but when the latter turns a 5 year old child into a vampire, Louis is forced into becoming the child’s guardian. What follows is a story that sees the three thrust into numerous years of torment as they try to make sense of their immortality and existence.
Near the middle of the story, the setting changes to include a more European flavor. I won’t spoil more than that. ..
Stylistically, Interview with the Vampire is unlike most other books out there. There are no standard chapters or cliffhangers, instead the story plays out as one continuous interview, with brief respites to the present as Louis collects his thoughts or his human journalist companion contemplates certain parts of Louis’ tale. It works reasonably well, although at times it can bog down the narrative and make this feel much more long-winded than it actually is. ..
The book is helped somewhat by the fact the tale is split into four parts across the 308 pages, signifying a significant plot or setting change, but beyond that this plays out much more as one continuous stream of thought. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, and the fascination with this novel comes from the way its deeply flawed characters navigate through life.
Louis is a tormented soul who goes through a kaleidoscope of emotion across the story. He’s also a pretty unreliable narrator, which only makes things all the more interesting. However, Claudia’s character is where the real beauty and horror of this tale comes from, and without her this wouldn’t be anywhere near as gripping and enigmatic as it becomes. ..
The other standout part of Interview with the Vampire is its discussions around morality. There are some fascinating debates in this about what constitutes as outright good and evil, as well as religion’s part to play in the world. These debates can go on for several pages at a time and the balanced perspective is surprisingly refreshing, especially as these themes still resonate to this day. ..
Anna Rice’s novel, Interview with the Vampire, is a sensuous, seductive and tragic tale of love, life and death – and an absolute must-read.
