Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite

It's a long time since I read a novel, and this was a good one with which to break the drought. A vampire novel. I've never read a vampire novel before, except Dracula, and that doesn't count because it was the first of its kind. I'd never have read this one if Eleanor hadn't lent it to me, but I'm glad she did. Thanks Eleanor!

There are five vampires, three humans, and a lot of blood and sex. Most of it is gay sex and occurs in conjunction with vampiric feeding. Seems like drinking someone's blood is an inherently sexy experience. Ms Brite has created her own mythology for this novel; vampires are living, not dead or undead, and their bite doesn't turn people into vampires, just kills them. And baby vampires always kill their mothers in childbirth. This is an important plot point.

The main character in the vampire camp is Nothing, adopted and raised by humans but never quite comfortable with the 'normal' human lifestyle. He runs away at 15, hitchhikes around America and finds himself picked up by three travelers who just happen to be vampires. One of them just happens to be his father Zillah. The vampires introduce him to his heritage and he becomes one of their group. Most of what ensues is a complex relationship of love, sex and power between Zillah and Nothing.

The main human character is Steve, a young musician trying to find peace in the bottom of a bottle after breaking up with his long-term girlfriend Ann. He's supported by his psychic friend Ghost, who ends up being the only vaguely likeable person of the novel's main cast. He understands Steve's pain and helps his friend heal to the point where he's nearly ready to try things again with Ann. Unfortunately, at this point Ann is seduced by Zillah. When she finds that she's pregnant with a deadly vampire baby, the shit - or blood - really starts hitting the fan.

It's a very dark novel. The characters are strong and believable, but each one is deeply flawed in some fundamental way. Even Ghost is a little too good, too pure, to be really trusted as the light of the story. At the end a lot of people die and the rest are left to deal with the fallout. Most of them seem to cope okay, and the death of Zillah seems to provide closure. He was the first character we met [after the prologue], the first we took a dislike to, and it's appropriate that his demise should set Nothing free.

However, the darkness of the plot is set in brilliant relief against the colourful settings. New Orleans is painted as a fantasy of light and colour, so that even sensitive Ghost complains "there's too much magic here" for him to hear the thoughts of people he's looking for. Missing Mile is instantly familiar as the archetypal small town from a hundred old movies, posters, TV shows and photographs. The road is almost a character in itself. All the characters spend a lot of time with it, Ghost is afraid of it, Steve is reassured by it, while the vampires use it as a buffet, a hiding-place, and the only constant in their lives of eternal wandering.

Brite seems to prefer description over plot, and when she's in no hurry to go anywhere her prose positively soars. In several places, though, the plot was heavy going, and at such times I found myself flipping ahead for dialogue or short paragraphs to catch my eye. But I always went back and read it properly, and enjoyed doing it. That's something new for me. Usually flipping ahead comes just a few days before I throw the book down for good and never return to it again. I'm impressed by the tenacity of the imagery that was able to so hold my attention.

All in all, it was an absorbing read. I looked forward to getting out my book the way I haven't done for a long time, and I was satisfied when I finished it. Even if it was a bit depressing. But hey, what can one expect from a vampire novel?