I never laugh at death, no matter how often and regularly I am the cause of it.
Interview with the Vampire
written by Anne Rice
Louis is a vampire. He doesn't sparkle in the sun, he burns. He doesn't try to blend into human society; he looks too otherworldly and fearsome for that. Louis doesn't fall in love with mortals; in fact he can feel nothing except for the loneliness and guilt of his damned life. In this book vampires are creatures that thrive off the death of others.
Every night Louis must be responsible for the death of another person to sustain his empty existence. However that is what sets Louis apart from "his own kind". He feels responsible. Every sin in his immortal life beats down on him, and he has no one to turn to. Vampirism to Louis is not a gift, it is a curse. His past weighs down on him, and now he is ready to share it with a young man looking for a story. But Louis’ story is more than the young interviewer bargained for.
Vampires are a one of the most common paranormal creatures in media. And everyone tells it slightly differently while maintaining the classic quirks established in Bram Stocker's Dracula; immortal, blood drinkers, creatures of the night. But every story involving vampires is different. Sometimes vampires are shown as just being mysterious sexy beings that flirt with mortals, or they are shown as trying to live "a normal life" by posing as a high school student, or occasionally a teenage girl hunts them down to slay them. Interview with the Vampire is none of those things.
When the charming Lestat turns Louis into a vampire Louis is completely entranced by him, but slowly Louis learns the tragic nature of his decision. Lestat is empty save for the pleasure he takes in killing others. For decades Louis is stuck with the monstrous Lestat because of his dependence on him. Louis doesn’t know anything about being a vampire and Lestat seems to be the only other vampire in existence to give him the answers to Louis’ questions. Louis becomes disgusted with Lestat and before he can leave him for good Lestat creates a child-vampire, Claudia, to join their group. Slowly Louis becomes acquainted with more vampires, and as he does he becomes aware that he is the oddity, not Lestat. At first he thought it was just Lestat that didn't feel any trepidation about killing, but it is Louis alone that can't get over his "mortal emotions". The deep concept of immortality and sin is delved into in a way that I have never seen before through Louis’ timeless eyes. The themes are as mesmerizing as the story of Louis' cursed life. The intellect contained in every line spoken is hypnotizing and gorgeous.
You'll see vampires in a new light, one that burns away any previous perceptions you have ever had. I can't look at Edward Cullen and Bella Swan the same ever again. Compared to Louis, Lestat, Claudia, and the other vampires, they are amateurs. Through Louis, Anne Rice takes in the reader and presses them with the concept of humanity, sin, and endless loneliness. She also captures what a vampire would really be like if they roamed this world. This is not a joyful, funny story, but it left me feeling inspired. Not many books can accomplish that. So let Louis' story change you, just not in the same way it changed him. You will see vampirism as Stocker and Rice meant for you too, as a curse.
What has died in this room tonight is the last vestige in me of what was human.
