The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

Entertaining and fast read with many disturbing, chilling and creepy moments. There were some good aspects and bad aspects of this book but it actually got better as it went along.

It was also surprisingly funny with quirky bits of dialogue:

“I am not sure what the appropriate gesture is to make toward the family of the woman who bit off your ear, but if you felt absolutely compelled, I certainly wouldn't take food.”

The title to me implied that a book club would be working together to fight vampires. That's not what happened. Instead, most of the book is about gaslighting Patricia. Patricia is a character to empathize with and root for in her struggle to free her family and town of their evil neighbor. Her fellow book-clubbers unfortunately put their fears of their husbands, fears for their personal security, and fear of public opinion in front of protecting the children of their town. Things went bad for Patricia, but it kept me reading, hoping she was going to be vindicated.

Now the not so good things.

The Messages about the wrongs of Racism, Sexism, and Classism from the book were far from subtle. Hendrix doesn't trust the reader to be smart enough to come to any conclusions on their own. There is evil in putting your own financial and social standing above all else, while allowing disadvantaged people to be exploited and destroyed. Unfortunately, it's not left for the reader to think about these evils in the character's actions. Instead, it is overtly said, words stating the obvious put right into the characters mouths:

“Then again, I moved here because you people are all so stupid,” he said. “You'll take anyone at face value as long as he's white and has money.”

I also thought the stupidity and egotism of the Husbands Who Don't Listen was weak. The worst of them cheat and abuse their wives either physically or emotionally and the best of them are shallow and clueless. Not one book club member is in a good marriage, and to me it feels like a device used to make the men jackasses in order to elevate the women. Hendrix is yet another writer who doesn't trust that a female character can be written as resourceful, brave, and layered without also diminishing the men.

This book was fun and exciting but could have been so much more if Hendrix had faith in the intelligence of his audience.