I loved This is Not a Vampire Story. Yes, our protagonist is a vampire, but this is almost incidental to the main themes: love, loss, grief and aging.
As an added bonus, it’s funny.
At 17, in a quiet Irish seaside town, Victor Callahan is in love, at a time (1950) when it’s illegal for him to love another man. Today, he is 17 and working in a care home for the elderly, where he looks after the man he loved and his close-knit group of friends from those days.
The narrative shifts back and forth between Victor’s youth and the present day, as the story unfolds of the events that led to him leaving his beloved.
It’s a novel about loneliness, love and friendship. And about youth. It’s beautifully written, with some very funny scenes; the old men, friends for over 75 years, still act up like the wild boys they once were when the mood takes them.
This is Not a Vampire Story is queer fiction, a beautiful story of two boys in love. It’s also a timeless story for everyone. I’m an old, straight woman, with more in common with the residents in the care home than with Victor. Nonetheless, I got completely caught up in this story and enjoyed every word of it. Recommended.
#ThisisNotaVampireStory #NetGalley
My thanks to the publisher, author @simondoylebooks.com and Netgalley for giving me an ARC. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.
You might also like: Mayflies | Andrew O’Hagan