I Know I’m Late: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires

November 8, 2022

I know I’m late, but slowly but surely, Grady Hendrix is becoming one of my favorite authors. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is *Chef’s Kiss*.

So Much to Love.

If not for Grady’s delicious prose, or his rich descriptions that ignite all senses, then it’s for his uncanny ability to write women very very well…or just how he masterfully layers in social commentary amidst a gothic horror about black kids being snatched by a “vampire”. I don’t know—as a black woman, I was hesitant about this book. But I admit, there’s so much to love. To me, it was brilliant. And such a clever way to explore racism and classism. I ended the book thinking, “what the heck did I just read?” and for me, that’s a good thing.

What's All The Fuss?

In any case, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is about a woman named Patricia—who like many women out there—is stuck serving everybody but herself. She’s mom, wife, and even her mother-in-laws caretaker. The only thing she has is her book club (which is obsessed with all things murder). And eventually, she hires a black woman named, Mrs. Greene, to free her from her mother-in-law.

One horrible night, Patricia is attacked by her elderly neighbor, who bites Patricia’s ear right on off. The elderly woman dies and her handsome nephew, James, moves in. At first, it seems like Patricia and James are going to end up having an affair. At least, that’s where I thought this was going. I hadn’t read the blurb and so I was kind of rooting for some romantic moment for Patricia, even though it was clear, something was off about James.

Then one day, Mrs. Greene tells Patricia that a man has been stealing their children. Mrs. Greene, and one of the mom’s with a missing child, share the license plate of the van that they believe is taking them. And when Patricia matches it to James’ van, she realizes, “oh shit: it’s James”. And from this point on, Patricia is determined to take him down, and it’s through her journey, that this book turns into one giant commentary about white male privilege, systemic racism, women’s oppression, etc.

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The Controversy

This is one of those books that you’ll either really love or you’ll really hate. Many did not like the social commentary at all, while others claimed Grady didn’t go deep enough.

I beg to differ. When I look at it, I think if Grady went further, it wouldn’t have been true to the characters and would’ve sanitized the truth: women from this background, that want to do the right thing, often hold a shallow understanding (and sometimes willful ignorance) of the problem. I found exploring this delightfully honest and satisfying.

While it’s clear that Patricia has a solid character arc, books don’t need every character to become an entirely different person by the end. They just need the reader to root for how far they’ve come—in which, I did.

Anyways, if you enjoy horror that reads like women’s fiction—grab your copy. I think you’ll like it.

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Natasha

Natasha Solae (also known as N.S. Boone) writes scandalous, female-led thrillers with horror, sci-fi, but mostly, fantasy elements. She's also a boy mom, dog-and-cat mom, and devoted wife.

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