The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

Near perfect read. I like and respect the premise – the nods to other books, including mashups of “literature” and horror. I liked what the book had to say about the human instinct to ignore the things we want to keep at a distance. And I liked what the book had to say about women not being taken seriously. Bahni Turpin! I listened to the audiobook, and I'm so glad I did. If I listed my favorite audiobooks of all time, no narrator would show up more than Bahni Turpin. I just love her work, and she blew me away yet again.A deal with the devil. I kept on thinking about the Audre Lorde quote about how the master???s tools will never dismantle the master???s house. The white women at the center of the story are invested in not rocking the boat, in not challenging their husbands, in justifying the status quo. White women, then and today, come by a lot of their privilege through the white men with whom they align, and these women find out just how precarious it all is. Early on, we're told a story about the vampire which shows his modus operandi – target black people, appeal to the greed and ego of white men. The main character, Patricia, tries to appeal to her friends, telling them he's harming black children. They try very hard not to believe, wanting to choose ignorance, especially since their husbands are in business with him. Patricia fairly early on makes the association that those kids could be her kids, and you save children when in peril. Why, yes, there's foreshadowing then. I had sympathy for some of the women, I also wanted to smack them, and their willfull ignorance. These women were rarely overtly racist, but they happily lived in their segregated neighborhood, chatting about gated communities, oblivious to what's happening down the road from them. Arguably the most heroic person is a black woman who looks after the main character's mother in law, and she I would have loved more of her perspective. She also calls the ladies on their B.S.This story is the road to these women removing their blinders, which might be a bit of a familiar feeling to some people these days. You could definitely read it through the lens of BLM, and a theme of which lives matter, and to what degree. Not that the author is overt, or directly invokes it. A quick Google search indicates he is not publicly political. SSDGM by a Vampire The women are fans of true crime, and that just might be what saves them. The excerpts and discussions are murderino approved! Blah Blah Blah The vampire, and just about every man in this story is a big old mansplainer. The vampire mansplained until the last moment. Some “people” cannot be killed enough. The men also kinda ruined the book club for a bit. Being a woman with important information, and being gaslighted and not heard is a pretty classic (and relatable) horror trope. He has his father's eyes. One of the classic authors of satirical horror was a man named Ira Levin, and I have to think Grady Hendrix, who is a student of the genre [b:Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction 33670466 Paperbacks from Hell The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction Grady Hendrix https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1504436657l/33670466.SX50.jpg 54542087] had him in mind, particularly [b:Rosemary's Baby 228296 Rosemary's Baby (Rosemary's Baby, #1) Ira Levin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327878603l/228296.SY75.jpg 883024] and [b:The Stepford Wives 52350 The Stepford Wives Ira Levin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554371721l/52350.SY75.jpg 1534281]. The Levin books and this one have oodles in common, particularly husbands who will sell out their family for success, and wives who are belittled while living the saying that you are not paranoid if people really are out to get you. You CAN judge a Grady Hendrix book by it's cover. He has the best covers these days. I cannot decide which version of My Best Friend's Exorcism I prefer, but I think it's the VHS looking one.[bc:My Best Friend's Exorcism 41015038 My Best Friend's Exorcism Grady Hendrix https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533059241l/41015038.SY75.jpg 46065002][bc:My Best Friend's Exorcism 26118005 My Best Friend's Exorcism Grady Hendrix https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456208235l/26118005.SX50.jpg 46065002]Genius. Meanwhile, this cover is –Chef's kiss– Women's fiction, literary fiction, horror, maybe even Twilight. Compare:[bc:The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires 54333381 The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires Grady Hendrix https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593499474l/54333381.SX50.jpg 68534292][bc:Commonwealth 28214365 Commonwealth Ann Patchett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1483278132l/28214365.SY75.jpg 48242398][bc:Twilight 41865 Twilight (Twilight, #1) Stephenie Meyer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361039443l/41865.SY75.jpg 3212258][bc:Bite Me 8570832 Bite Me Christopher Moore https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442548654l/8570832.SY75.jpg 6752024]Here's a secret I usually also end up becoming a bit chocked up ready books by this author. The stories are camp, and satire, and funny, but there's also a real heart there that comes shining through at unexpected moments. What else? I hate when pets die horribly in horror, and this author HAS DONE THAT BEFORE in a way that – no pun intended – haunts me, so when I saw there was a dog in this one... See, I am traditionally so worried about the pet that any time they're on the page I'm so freaked out that my enjoyment of the story is diminished. In case you are like me, and would prefer to know going in... The book takes place over several years, and the dog does eventually die, and it IS sad, but Ragtag does not die a sad horror story death. Close, but...Oh, the son is obsessed with Nazis, and Patricia never pursues that, which to me is just part of the theme of not wanting to deal with the hard stuff. Also, I am not saying this would automatically make him evil, considering what I read, but it fascinates me that she never pursues this. Major Spoiler And nothing comes of it. I suppose it was just there for the reading to track and worry about.