Author: Jemiah Jefferson
Growing up as a weird kid obsessed with vampires, I had exhausted Anne Rice by the time I was in eighth grade (after a few panicked teacher-parent phone calls in which my teacher tried to convince my mother that I was a heathen and my mother assured her that she already knew) and was scoffing in derision at my classmates' R.L. Stine books.
I needed something that was more raw and real; I didn't want to read four pages describing someone's frock coat. I wanted vampires that were selfish and sexy and wild; I wanted vampires like in The Lost Boys and Near Dark.
If I had gotten hold of Jemiah Jefferson's Voice of the Blood, I would've been a very happy animal indeed.
The lead character is Ariane Dempsey, a strong and vivacious mulatto female from New Orleans who is currently working as a biology graduate student in Oregon. She dates John Thurbis, a mathematician who is a bit more uptight than Ariane is, and the two of them live in pre-marital bliss and go through the maddening rituals of everyday domesticity. Then one night while working late, Ariane is attacked by a mysterious creature who appears to be all fangs and claws, and her life is forever changed. Thrust from the world of normalcy and comfort, Ariane finds herself drawn to the shy and timid vampire Orfeo Ricari, a mopey, self-loathing Italian boy who wishes to end his existence but can't commit suicide thanks to lingering Catholic beliefs. Ricari and Ariane begin a tumultuous affair in which she promises to help Ricari end his existence painlessly if he'll show her all of the magical things he's seen in his life. Ariane becomes obsessed and begins to spiral out of control, and Ricari eventually is forced to send her away and into the arms of his ex-lover Daniel Blum, a self-absorbed and indulgent Hollywood prettyboy who is also a vampire.
The book is written in contemporary, lush language that oozes with sensuality and bite; pop culture references to David Bowie, Jim Morrison, The Talking Heads and many more icons keep the writing relevant and fresh, and Jefferson's descriptions of the cities and locations are vivid. More than that, her characters pop with personality, flaws, desires, fears and aspirations. This is not the blank-slate of Bella Swan or the perfect Adonis of Edward Cullen; likewise, it isn't the ethereal, intangible Lestat de Lioncourt. Her animals are from an entirely different zoo; Daniel is impulsive, petulant, childish, and demanding while also being whimsical, silly, passionate and beautiful. Ricari is tormented and melodramatic, yet also poetic and generous. He is at a loss with how to deal with headstrong, unsure Ariane, and this conflict causes some of the most poignant scenes in the book. A strong supporting cast of characters, including former hustler Lovely, elegant and cold Alex, and the disarmingly charismatic Leland round out the book to truly create a dysfunctional vampire family that, in my opinion, surpasses Anne Rice's creations by far.
The story is graphic, with plenty of dirty sex, drugs, and rock and roll to appease the appetite of the most hip vampire connoisseur, and the gore and guts have their place and keep to it nicely. A particularly savage scene is offset in the next beat by a sweet, soothing one or even an outright hilarious one; this causes the audience to be drawn in completely and commit themselves to riding out this emotional roller coaster to the end.
It was released in 2001 but is now being pushed into its second printing with a gorgeous new cover on May 15, 2011. For readers who like their vampires with fangs, fashion sense and a great CD collection, Jemiah Jefferson's Voice of the Blood is something not to be missed. It is a book with a lot of heart, and has quickly become one of the favorites on my bookshelf.
Rating: (4 out of 5):
Great review Amanda, sounds like my kind of book.
P.S.: So your mom got 'that phone call from the concerned teacher' too? Sweet! (high fives:))