What an interesting take on the vampire concept. While nothing was fundamentally new, no wild takes on vampirism, the approach was so vastly different than the majority of literature at the moment. The story is told in a tightly controlled narrative, with elegant phrasing and descriptions that are much less fantastic. Something that I loved about this take was that it was very divorced from the salacious, hedonistic, specialized vampire stories that have become very ubiquitous. Anna/Anya/Colette is philosophical, deeply introspective, and primarily concerned with art and avoiding pain. Her vampirism and hunger are at times predatory and gruesome, but more like a nature documentary than a slasher fic.

This story is subdued and that is what really makes it stand out.

The story, told in present day and flashbacks, guides readers through the narrator’s formative years as a vampire before merging with her present as a preschool teacher. Her shifting identities and the lives of the humans she (reluctantly) intersects with show how she comes to be hungry, confused, and in an existential crisis.

The character of Katherine, Leo’s mother, is so masterfully crafted in particular. She is a study in the manipulative and yet violently troubled mother. As readers our understanding of her and who she is wildly vacillates through the story, creating an atmosphere of feeling off balance and disoriented.

If I have any qualms with the book it’s that the child characters are often written weirdly. At times the dialogue and reactions are so spot on. At other times though their composure and abilities seem wildly mature for preschoolers. Perhaps the author has some experience with ultra elite preschoolers that outpaces the preschoolers I’ve encountered. Either way, at times they seemed absurdly pulled together and mature for the age range.

I thought that this book walked a very thin line between horror, magical realism, and literary fiction. I think for those looking for an option that blends the artistic prose of literary fiction with supernatural elements, this could be an excellent choice. 4/5 but leaning towards 4.5/5

(Trigger warning: child death, violence, supernatural, depictions of dead bodies, gore, depictions of fire, mentions of child abuse, depictions of violence towards animals.) (I really can’t overstate that if you have aversions to any kind of harm or violence towards pets or domestic animals that this one might be tough.)