The reformed vampire support group, by Catherine Jinks

The plain fact is, I can't do anything much. That's part of the problem. Vampires are meant to be so glamorous and powerful, but I'm here to inform you that being a vampire is nothing like that. Not one bit. On the contrary, it's like being stuck indoors with the flu watching daytime television, forever and ever.

Vampire books are all the rage these days, but here's one with a difference. Often vampires are portrayed as being some combination of attractive, strong, and rich. Catherine Jinks has turned this on its head.

Nina, the narrator of the story, is 51 years old. But she became a vampire when she was 15. So she still looks 15, and people still treat her like a 15 year old. She can't even learn to drive. Bridget is stuck in her 80s. She has arthritis. Others never learned to drive because cars weren't invented when they became vampires.

They can't get normal jobs. They can't eat normal food. They breed guinea pigs to satisfy their vampire cravings. They get sick constantly and bright lights will make their eyes bleed. Being a vampire is hard. Which is why they have a support group with weekly group therapy.

Things get even worse when one of them is killed. They decide to track down the killer, not for revenge, but to show him what pitiful creatures they are, that they are no threat to anyone. But they stumble onto something far more concerning and far more dangerous.

This is a very different take on the vampire genre and a fun one at that.

Jonathan @Ashburton

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