Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)

Title: Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)

Author: Anne Rice

Published in: 1976

Date read: 22nd February 2022

Score: 4/5

Genre: Horror, Fantasy

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Interview with the Vampire" by Anne Rice, published in 1976, is the seminal novel in "The Vampire Chronicles" series. It revolutionized the vampire genre by presenting its undead protagonists not as simplistic monsters, but as complex, tormented beings grappling with existential questions, morality, and loneliness.

The story unfolds as a direct interview, where a young, unnamed reporter (referred to as "the Boy Interviewer") sits down in a cramped San Francisco apartment with a being who claims to be a vampire named Louis de Pointe du Lac. Louis, compelled to tell his story after centuries of silent existence, begins a long, confessional narrative that spans over 200 years.

His tale starts in 1791, on his indigo plantation just outside New Orleans. Consumed by grief and a profound sense of despair after the death of his brother, Louis is in a state of suicidal apathy. It is then that he is approached by the enigmatic and ancient vampire Lestat de Lioncourt. Lestat, drawn to Louis's beauty and melancholic nature, offers him the "Dark Gift" of vampirism. Louis, seeking an end to his suffering and a new form of existence, accepts, becoming Lestat's reluctant companion in immortality.

Their early years together are marked by Lestat's flamboyant and often cruel instruction in the ways of vampiric existence, which clashes with Louis's inherent human morality and his struggle to reconcile his new predatory nature with his lingering compassion. Louis abhors killing humans and initially tries to subsist on animal blood, a weakness Lestat scoffs at.

The dynamic between them changes dramatically when, during a plague epidemic in New Orleans, Lestat transforms a dying five-year-old girl named Claudia into a vampire. Lestat's motive is to keep Louis by his side, knowing Louis's paternal instincts will bind him to Claudia. Claudia, trapped forever in the body of a child but with the mind and desires of a vampire, quickly becomes intelligent, cunning, and terrifyingly ruthless. Her childlike appearance masks a monstrous hunger and a growing resentment towards Lestat for condemning her to eternal childhood.

The trio lives together for decades, forming a bizarre and dysfunctional family unit. Louis finds some solace in Claudia, but his philosophical anguish persists. Claudia's hatred for Lestat eventually boils over, leading her to plot his destruction, forcing Louis into a horrifying choice.

After a dramatic confrontation and a seeming end to Lestat, Louis and Claudia flee to Europe, searching for other vampires and answers about their existence. In Paris, they discover a community of vampires led by the ancient and powerful Armand, who is intrigued by Louis's introspection and unique perspective. Louis is drawn to Armand, hoping to find the guidance and understanding he craves. However, their new relationships are threatened by the return of Lestat and the rigid, often brutal, laws of the Parisian vampire coven.

The novel explores themes of immortality's burden, loneliness, the search for meaning, the nature of good and evil, and the fluidity of love and desire. Louis's narrative is a lament, a centuries-long confession of guilt, doubt, and his desperate yearning for humanity even as he is forced to live beyond it. The ending sees Louis, still searching for purpose, concluding his interview, leaving the reporter shaken and intrigued by the dark, alluring world he has glimpsed.

Comments:
I want to put this into the classic genre but it just doesn't seem old enough. It is, however, a classic amongst vampire books. I am ashamed that I didn't read it until after the death of the author. It lived up to my expectations. I have not seen the film with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, however, I have recently seen the 2022 version (season 1) and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Books that we've read by Anne Rice (1):
Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1) (1976)