The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

Title: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires Author: Grady Hendrix Genre: Supernatural Thriller Audio: Bahni Turpin Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Whew. Slow breath. This marks the beginning of my journey into the world of Grady Hendrix. He honestly flew under the radar for me, and that is a crime. The story is incredibly complex and yet easy to follow, so my discussion might be a bit longer. No worries, I won’t reveal any significant plot points, which should help keep things from getting too out of hand. Our protagonist, Patricia Campbell, tells this story from a limited third-person point of view. Patty (as her friends call her) is the picture-perfect wife, mother, and Southern lady… or so we think. To be frank, Patty is somewhat dissatisfied with her home life and career choices now that her kids are getting older, having left nursing to be a housewife. I’m not entirely sure if she genuinely wanted to do this, especially since her husband, who is a psychologist, can be pretty manipulative and completely overbearing. I must admit, the men in this book made me so angry that I could practically taste the rage. I had a strong and immediate dislike for almost every single one of them in this book, so consider yourself warned. If themes like misogyny, abuse, and manipulation bother you, then this story may not be for you. Getting back to Patty… As an avid reader, Patty was part of a book club, but the books they chose felt dull and uninspiring. After being selected to lead a book discussion on a novel she hadn’t read (and being totally humiliated when caught), she started her own book club, where they could discuss true crime and serial killer books. I know. I know., I know. I, too, wished to be a member of that book club. But the introduction of the book club is the last semi-normal thing that happens in this book, so buckle up. Now, I will tell you that this book is noticeably manic in all the best ways. I experienced a range of emotions, from tears and laughter to outbursts of anger. The humor had me in stitches. The uncomfortable horror elements were effectively juxtaposed with deeply moving social commentary about economic inequality, racism, gender power dynamics, toxic religious undertones, narcissism, and domestic abuse, making for a powerful and relevant narrative. These themes were expertly integrated into the narrative and never felt overdone. I was so engrossed that I listened at all hours, and last night, for the first time in my reading journey, I wore my headphones to bed and listened to the ending in the dark. The moment it was over, I remained there, contemplating the ending and understanding its purpose. It’s important for me to mention Bahni Turpin as well! This woman’s performance was incredible, as she played a whole cast of characters, drawing me in so completely that I forgot it was a single narrator. For audiobook lovers, this one is a must-listen. It truly was remarkable. Sigh. I honestly believe that Grady Hendrix trapped lightning in a bottle with this story, and I'm left with a book hangover, the kind you savor. I assure you, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires will become a beloved treasure on your bookshelves. Happy reading, and keep the windows closed and the lights on.

“The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampire’s” is a bit of a misnomer. You don’t really get a “guide” and there is just the one “vampire”, and the lore around that particular vampire is unlike any I’m familiar with. But that was part of the fun of this book. Or, not fun, as this was an intense commentary on gaslighting, sexism, and racism in Charleston in the early 90’s. Or as intense of a commentary as a white man can make, but I think the point was infuriatingly well made. And while there is no mystery around the vampire, even if it takes these housewives awhile to see it for themselves, the writing was easy and creepy and managed to make me absolutely rage at all the right places. This book really was a look into just how vital the invisible support system of running a household is, the overlooked emotional labor, and just how overtly that gets taken advantage of, in no small part thanks to the burden of hospitality ingrained in each of these women. This was my first book by this author so I was a bit hesitant at first as horror is hit or miss for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed this satirical horror story. I am a new mom and a big true crime fan so already the ladies in this book resonated with me. These moms, despite being very different from one another, are all easy to like and root for. And it’s also very easy to wish every single one of their husbands would burn in a fire. And that’s before the “villain” shows up. But really, James isn’t just a vampire. He’s a symbol of the socio-economic divide between communities. The fact that no one cared about what he did in the poorer, predominately Black neighborhoods until it started to affect the upper-class white neighborhoods, for example. It would have been nice if Mrs. Greene was more of a main character for that very reason, but as Patricia was the only main character in the entire book club, I’ll try not to get hung up on it too much. This book is satire, and while some people may claim it feels more like the 1950’s instead of the 1990s, I KNOW a lot of places in the South still operate the way Hendrix portrays this community (I lived in a suburb of New Orleans for a few years and can attest to that). Hendrix may be the only male writer I’ve read that really captured the utter rage and frustration of how these women are constantly talked over and how condescending their husbands are to them. I honestly went to bed mad so many times because of it, but that was also the point, so kudos to the author there. However the book is a bit slow in the middle. Which is why I am giving it 4 stars; the pacing was my only real issue. It felt like it took such a long time for the housewives to go up against James in, as Hendrix says, “Dracula vs. my mom” once Patricia knows what she’s up against. When the showdown did happen, it was perfectly gory and unsettling and Patricia and Kitty were so clutch that I was mentally clapping for them the entire time. Even Slick and Grace, who I liked the least, had my sympathy at the end and I wanted nothing more than for them to win. Well, maybe not Grace so much, but I liked how Ms. Greene called her out, too. The ending was a little bittersweet, but it also felt right for the characters and their families, as well. All this to say, not only did I really enjoy this book, but I’m excited to read more by this author in the future!

Though he’s regarded by some as drenched in irony and snark, I’ve never found Grady Hendrix’s forays into horror to be less than great, embracing all sorts of horror tropes with the ease of an expert, all while finding some way to marry the themes of the horror to something larger – the dangers of defining yourself by your work in Horrorstör, for instance, or the way that we grow apart from our friends as filtered through demonic possession in My Best Friend’s Exorcism. And in Hendrix’s hands, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires turns from a typical vampire novel a la Salem’s Lot (mysterious stranger comes to small town, etc.) into an exploration of motherhood and what it’s like to try to find your way through parenting when you can’t even find time for yourself. That metaphor isn’t quite as tight as usual for Hendrix, which both frees up the book to go in different directions but also makes it a little looser in terms of structure, with some odd beats that never quite feel tied into the novel. (I can’t help but feel there was more to the story of our main character’s son than ended up in the final version of the story, where it simply feels disquieting but also unresolved.) But the result is a pretty fun tale about a group of suburban women who start bonding after they start a book club that’s less pretentious than the “official” one, becoming tight friends and each other’s lifelines when life is hard. And when a young man named James Harris moves in down the street, as good Southern women, they want to reach out, but, well, he’s never that active during the day, and the windows are darkened… Hendrix nicely leans into the dramatic irony brought about by the name of the book, letting the reader be aware of what’s going on well before the main characters, but that doesn’t stop him from taking the idea of vampires into far more unexpected territory, as Harris both plays to the desire for money by the men folk and the willingness of a small town to overlook crimes happening in the Black neighborhoods of the city. Indeed, if there’s another central conceit to the novel beyond the motherhood one, it’s the reframing of the vampire not as the romantic Count Dracula, but as the wandering serial killer, one without ties, human morality, or any connection to the world around him, and in doing so, Hendrix gives us a vampire that’s both true to our ideas of the creature and yet doesn’t remind us of anyone but himself – a hard thing to do in vampire fiction these days. I really enjoyed Book Club a lot; yes, the book isn’t quite as thematically tight as Hendrix’s other works, but it gains from the way that that looseness allows Hendrix to take the plot into ways that examine classism, sexism, racism, parenting, suburbia, and more, all while never forgetting that he’s delivering a horror novel and has to bring the goods on that front. And he definitely does here, with a few knockout sequences that show that there’s more to Hendrix than the unfair labels that have been put on him by some. For my money, Hendrix is four for four, and Book Club is just further proof that he’s not just a lover of pulp horrors, but a solid writer for any horror fan to enjoy.

Overall this was an entertaining read. If I could I would give it 3.5 stars rather than just 3 but the star entry doesn't allow me to do that. It was an easy read and fairly entertaining. There are some scary parts but mostly gross parts with bugs and rats. The blood doesn't happen until the very end of the book. This is more like a black comedy I would say since there are some zingy one liners in the middle of some dramatic moments. Having lived in the South and driven to Charleston area to spend weekends, I'm very familiar with the overprivileged characters in the book. They men are somewhat lazy too. Some of the characters just run their inherited plantations and don't have jobs, like Horse and his wife Kitty. Yes his name is actually Horse. Their son is Pony...this is also typical of that region. The women do everything their men say and I found that to be annoying but maybe in that time that happened? It was only in the 90's. I will say that the economy has changed and many women do have jobs now but a lot still stand by their man...or something I noticed even while living in Charlotte, NC. There characters are also extremely gullible and stupid. You are almost rooting for the vampire at times. He does get them into some shady business deals but also gives them more opportunity like telling Carter to start his own private practice or selling some of the land that Kitty and Horse own in order for them to raise money. The women are also willing to turn their heads to the fact that Black children are going missing and all signs point to their neighbor the vampire but in their minds, they don't seem to care because the vampire is making them rich. This is an easy beach read but know none of the characters are likeable other than Miss Mary who warned them all from the beginning and Mrs. Greene the housekeeper who has to do all the heavy lifting at the end.

I first became aware of Grady Hendrix a number of years ago, when he gave his Paperbacks from Hell presentation at a Writer's Retreat I attended, and the man was funny. Downright hysterical. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard. So naturally, I assumed his books would be just as funny. So on my next trip to the bookstore, I grabbed a copy of Horrorstor... And hated it. The book just wasn't funny. No, wait... I take that back. There were maybe two funny lines in the entire book, and they occurred very early on in the book. Like maybe Chapter 1. Possibly Chapter 2. The rest was a slog with a bunch of very unlikable characters. I wanted to give the author another chance, though. I mean, everyone is entitled to have an off day (off book), so it was with some reluctance that I picked up The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. It was described as Steel Magnolias meets Dracula, and I like both of those, and while it didn't WOW! me, I did end up enjoying it more than my previous excursion into Hendrix Country. The premise is nothing new: handsome stranger (James Harris), who is not who or what he claims to be, worms his way into the lives of a close-knit community, while on the outskirts of town, children are either disppearing or committing suicide. The events happen to coincide with each other, but is he responsible? Patricia Campbell eventually stumbles onto the man's secret and takes it to her book club, and it's up to them to put an end to his reign of terror. But it's not as simple as it sounds because Patricia can't come right out and say the man is a vampire. Who would believe here? They don't even want to believe her when she accuses the man of being a child molester and a drug pusher who's selling drugs to children. It takes her three years to finally gather enough evidence, but even then they're reluctant to believe her because Mr. Harris has so firmly ingrained within their circle as an upstanding citizen, best friend and business partner to their husbands, and becomes idolized by their children. And as long as he doesn't hurt those within the community, that he continues to target the "poor" part of town, they're content to look the other way. But Patricia won't let it rest, and it's only when he attacks one of the book club members and sets his sights on Patricia's children that they decide something needs to be done. While the book isn't as funny as I wanted it to be after seeing Hendrix's presentation, it does have its moments that had me chuckling, and it was 100x better than Horrorstor. There's a large cast of characters you need to keep track of, not all of which are likeable, but if feel like Hendrix drew a line on the floor and told all the good characters need to be on one side, and the bad characters on the other, and after everyone had chosen their sides, it's pretty much guys vs girls, which pretty much reflects the southern society of the time. I did find the pacing to be inconsistent. The book starts of strong, but about halfway through, it flatlines, at least for me (at this point I almost put the book aside), and doesn't pick up again until you're about three-quarters of the way through, at which point it moves like an express train toward the climax. Would I recommend it? If you only read "serious" horror, I don't think this is the book for you, but if you don't mind your horror on the light side with a smattering of humor, it's definitely worth checking out. 4/5 stars But now I need a tie breaker. Which Hendrix book should I read next? Hmmmm...

I have read three of his books. Two hits and one miss. This is an entertaining book with suspence, a little horror, characters I liked and a couple I disliked a lot, and that is because of the good writing. Would definitely recommend! I wouldn't consider it horror but I could see how some might. There are some dark somewhat scary sections, but nothing too bad. The title alone made me want to read it. Thinking about proper southern women hunting a vampire made it worth giving it a chance. It makes me want to have my brother and sisters get a copy and have our own book club.

OK, so the title might confuse you. Yes, there is a vampire in it. Yes, the Vampire is the main plot point. But the story is really about some kick ass women that didn't realize they were kick ass until they had to kick ass. As a South Carolina native, I was especially drawn to the settings and the characters, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well-drawn everything was. There is suspense and horror, but it's not gratuitous; it's perfect for moving the story along. It took a couple of chapters to get me invested, but once I was, I was grateful for the snowstorm that let me read it straight through.

Judging by the title alone, I wasn't sure this would be my kind of book. I'm a massive horror fan, and I expected this to be just a lighthearted jab at the vampire genre. In truth, had my own book club not chosen it, I'm not sure I would have picked it up. I'd heard good things about the author in the past, but never read any of his work, so I didn't really know what to expect. I have to say, I'm quite pleased. The author definitely deserves his reputation. Admittedly, this is not a traditional horror novel. It doesn't have scares all the way through. It has some good scares balanced with some excellent character building, and more than a little wit. But I have to say, when Hendrix does write a thrilling scene, he does it right! This isn't the kind of horror novel that'll make you sleep with your lights on, but it does maintain tension throughout, and when that tension peaks, you'll find yourself white-knuckling your way to the next page in a way very few authors could pull off. Combined with a plot that's at once original and respectful of vampire tropes in general and you end up with a hell of a book. Unfortunately, there's one significant flaw. As good horror often does, the book veers occasionally into social commentary. I'll go into more detail in a "spoiler" section below, but suffice it to say that while the social commentary did make for engaging reading in the moment, it was a bit too heavy-handed, and ultimately detracted from one character's realism and slightly marred my enjoyment of the book. Don't get me wrong, though. I still loved the book and I still recommend it. But when compared to the rest of the book, which can only be described as masterful, one of the book's major political themes falls a little flat. Minor spoilers in this paragraph only: The political issue in question has to do with sexism and husband-wife relationships. In the novel, one of the ways the vampire is successful is by integrating himself into the community. In particular, he "corrupts" the men of the community. This results in the men being frankly dismissive of their wives' concerns. Fair enough; that's an interesting subplot. However, it's taken to extremes when ALL of the men in the book are portrayed as domineering husbands, particularly (but not exclusively) with regards to their wives' suspicions. Characters thinking their spouses are delusional is interesting, but when it's divided perfectly along gender lines, it begins to feel a little forced. It's particularly forced in the character of Carter, who starts off seeming like a respectable husband and a respectable psychiatrist and ends up rapidly devolving to the point that he feels like a moustache-twirling villain who behaves poorly toward his wife AND poorly as a psychiatrist. Clearly, he's meant to be under the influence of the vampire, but he never becomes so corrupted as to lose his mind (a la Renfield) and yet also never seems to struggle at all with his behavior. Frankly, I don't buy it, and this puts a stain on what I otherwise consider a masterful novel. Despite this single flaw, this remains a great book. I highly recommend it. I'm more than happy my book club turned me on to it, and I'll definitely be reading the author's other works.

A fun read with great characters. I found some part a little too disturbing, but a credit to the author for making my skin crawl. I enjoyed the visualization and could really place myself in many of the scenes and the Charleston setting. There were clever lines, and a funny parts. I was angry at the book club ladies that they let so much time pass, but it also showed how powerless they felt. James Harris is a vampire, and a unique one different from the typical throat-biting Dracula model. Fighting the monster is just half of the horror, though. This book is a story of dual horror. Not just the obvious vampire trope, also the story line concerning the "ordinary" lives we lead. The relationships we cultivate, and what is left when things get hard. The horror themes from the everyday lives were the terrible instances of abuse, gaslighting, and manipulations that the husbands all engaged in over their wives. There is the theme of money, power, and corruption. There is the theme of racism and murder in the South. It is a much heavier and deeper book than I expected it to be going in. If you are paying attention, there is a lot to think about from a friendship/relationship perspective here. If you are paying attention, much of this book will make you angry. After all, you expect a monster to be a monster, but we don't expect our husbands and our friends to be monsters. The ladies are flawed and late to take action as well, and sometimes it is hard to like them ... but they are relatable.

Lo leí en kindle y me encantó tanto que a fuerzas debía de tenerlo en físico y en cuanto vi que hay una versión pasta dura, no lo dudé nadita. Viene protegido, cero detalles, un poquito sucio de las hojas pero le da ese encanto de libro de librería. Es un libro de casi 400 páginas pero en cuanto lo empiezas a leer ya no lo sueltas. Me encanta. Una lectura 100% recomendada!!!

Full of suspense but also funny - excellent novel. Grady Hendrix is the only male writer I know who really gets women.

«He thinks we’re what we look like on the outside: nice Southern ladies. Let me tell you something…there’s nothing nice about Southern ladies.» 🔎SINOPSIS: Patricia Campbell siempre había planeado una gran vida, pero después de dejar su carrera como enfermera para casarse con un médico ambicioso y convertirse en madre, la vida de Patricia nunca se sintió más pequeña. Los días son largos, sus hijos son ingratos, su esposo está distante y su lista de tareas pendientes nunca termina. Lo único que tiene es su club de lectura, un grupo de madres de Charleston unidas únicamente por su amor por el crimen y el suspense. En estas reuniones, es más probable que hablen tanto del reciente asedio de Waco por parte del FBI como de los altibajos del matrimonio y la maternidad. Pero cuando un extraño se muda al vecindario, las reuniones del club de lectura se convierten en especulaciones sobre el recién llegado. Patricia se siente atraída inicialmente por él, pero cuando algunos niños locales desaparecen, comienza a sospechar que el recién llegado está involucrado. Ella comienza su propia investigació y lo que descubre es mucho más aterrador de lo que esperaba. Las amas de casa de su club de lectura son las únicas personas que se interponen entre el monstruo que han invitado a sus hogares y su comunidad desprevenida. ✏ OPINIÓN: Este ha sido uno de mis primeros thrillers/terror y he agradecido el toque sobrenatural que es una dinámica con la que estoy acostumbrada. Si bien la historia me ha parecido super interesante, el libro se me ha hecho largo y pesado a ratos, sobretodo hacia mitad de la historia y hasta las últimas 50 páginas que son lo realmente bueno de este libro. Creo que el autor pierde demasiado tiempo en construir el ambiente sueño de los años 90 y complica demasiado las cosas a lo largo de sus relato para llegar a un final esperado, pero sin duda bien articulado y redactado. No ha sido una mala introducción al mundo del suspense, pero creo que no he podido vivir la experiencia al completo porque en ocasiones el libro me ha aburrido. Aunque considero que para los amantes del géneros esta es una muy buena lectura. Resaltar como se retrata a los vampiros en esta novela, que aunque tienen algunos del los clichés de siempre, se agradece la perspectiva y definición diferente con la que lo aborda. Del mismo modo, la supresión y posterior empoderamiento de la mujer a lo largo del libro ha sido una grata sorpresa.

J'aime beaucoup le style d'écriture de cet auteur, à la fois drôle, effrayant et critique à l'égard de la société.