Book Review

Does the world really need another vampire book, and one about Dracula, no less? Rather like asking if Ben and Jerry's need more flavors--of course, if they're good! I found Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian because it is a recent winner of the Hopwood Award from the University of Michigan. The subject may be a bit hackneyed, but the novel was no boilerplate.

The obvious standards for vampire books are those by Bram Stoker and Anne Rice. I've never read either, but Kostova frequently refers to Stoker. Of the books I've read, the style is most like Foucault's Pendulum. Her language is not innovative or poetic, perhaps because she is trying to convey a story, but it is elegant and clean. I did a little dance when I realized that she used the possessive with the gerund.

Her plot is complex, stretching over several decades and many locations. Because of this the book is long, but it is also intriguing and I never wanted to put it down. This is due not only to Kostova's masterful manipulation of plot tension, but also because of the rich detail. It is in her attention to historic and folk-loric detail that Kostova most resembles Eco. Her respect for research is likewise evident in the prominent place played by archives, libraries, universities, and their denizens. She is masterful at conveying the sense of a place and an era. Her descriptions are detailed, and the book made me want to hop a plane to the far reaches of Eastern Europe and Turkey. The characters are fully developed, be they alive or undead.

I will not say more lest I spoil the book for you, and I would not want to do that, since it is a satisfying, even educational, read. If you are not opposed to the supernatural, or dedicated solely to avant-garde fiction, do check out a copy of The Historian, but be on the look out for any undead librarians.