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Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, Book 1) by [Anne Rice]

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Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Anne Rice (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Book 1 of 13: Vampire Chronicles

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The spellbinding classic that started it all, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author—the inspiration for the hit television series

“A magnificent, compulsively readable thriller . . . Rice begins where Bram Stoker and the Hollywood versions leave off and penetrates directly to the true fascination of the myth—the education of the vampire.”—Chicago Tribune

Here are the confessions of a vampire. Hypnotic, shocking, and chillingly sensual, this is a novel of mesmerizing beauty and astonishing force—a story of danger and flight, of love and loss, of suspense and resolution, and of the extraordinary power of the senses. It is a novel only Anne Rice could write.

Book 1 of 13

Vampire Chronicles
Print length

354 pages
Language

English
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On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Ballantine Books
Publication date

November 17, 2010
File size

3852 KB
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Popular Highlights in this book

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I lived like a man who wanted to die but who had no courage to do it himself.
Highlighted by 1,023 Kindle readers
The conflict lies between the morals of the artist and the morals of society, not between aesthetics and morality.
Highlighted by 750 Kindle readers
I never laugh at death, no matter how often and regularly I am the cause of it.
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From the Publisher

A spellbinding classics, the inspiration for the hit television series.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A magnificent, compulsively readable thriller . . . Rice begins where Bram Stoker and the Hollywood versions leave off and penetrates directly to the true fascination of the myth–the education of the vampire.”—Chicago Tribune

“Unrelentingly erotic . . . sometimes beautiful, and always unforgettable.”—Washington Post

“If you surrender and go with her . . . you have surrendered to enchantment, as in a voluptuous dream.”—Boston Globe

“A chilling, thought-provoking tale, beautifully frightening, sensuous, and utterly unnerving.”—Hartford Courant

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"I see--" said the vampire thoughtfully, and slowly he walked across the room towards the window. For a long time he stood there against the dim light from Divisadero Street and the passing beams of traffic. The boy could see the furnishings of the room more clearly now, the round oak table, the chairs. A wash basin hung on one wall with a mirror. He set his briefcase on the table and waited.

"But how much tape do you have with you?" asked the vampire, turning now so the boy could see his profile. "Enough for the story of a life?"

"Sure, if it's a good life. Sometimes I interview as many as three or four good people a night if I'm lucky. But it has to be a good story. That's only fair, isn't it?"

"Admirably fair," the vampire answered. "I would like to tell you the story of my life, then. I would like to do that very much."

"Great," said the boy. And quickly he removed a small tape recorder from his brief case, making a check of the cassette and batteries. "I'm really anxious to hear why you believe this, why you--"

"No," said the vampire abruptly. "We can't begin that way. Is your equipment ready?"

"Yes," said the boy.

"Then sit down. I'm going to turn on the overhead light."

"But I thought vampires didn't like the light," said the boy. "If you think the dark adds atmosphere--" But then he stopped. The vampire was watching him with his back to the window. The boy could make out nothing of his face now, and something about the still figure there distracted him. He started to say something again but he said nothing. And then he sighed with relief when the vampire moved towards the table and reached for the overhead cord.

At once the room was flooded with a harsh yellow light. And the boy, staring up at the vampire, could not repress a gasp. His fingers danced backwards on the table to grasp the edge. "Dear God!" he whispered, and then he gazed, speechless, at the vampire.

The vampire was utterly white and smooth, as if he were sculpted from bleached bone, and his face was as seemingly inanimate as a statue, except for two brilliant green eyes that looked down at the boy intently like flames in a skull. But then the vampire smiled almost wistfully, and the smooth white substance of his face moved with the infinitely flexible but minimal lines of a cartoon. "Do you see?" he asked softly?

The boy shuddered, lifting his hand as if to shield himself from a powerful light. His eyes moved slowly over the finely tailored black coat he'd only glimpsed in the bar, the long folds of the cape, the black silk tie knotted at the throat, and the gleam of the white collar that was as white as the vampire's flesh. He stared at the vampire's full black hair, the waves that were combed back over the tips of the ears, the curls that barely touched the edge of the white collar.

"Now, do you still want the interview?" the vampire asked.

The boy's mouth was open before the sound came out. He was nodding. Then he said, "Yes."

The vampire sat down slowly opposite him and, leaning forward, said gently, confidentially, "Don't be afraid. Just start the tape."

And then he reached out over the length of the table. The boy recoiled, sweat running down the sides of his face. The vampire clamped a hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "Believe me, I won't hurt you. I want this opportunity. It's more important to me than you can realize now. I want you to begin." And he withdrew his hand and sat collected, waiting.

It took a moment for the boy to wipe his forehead and his lips with a handkerchief, to stammer that the microphone was in the machine, to press the button, to say that the machine was on.

"You weren't always a vampire, were you?" he began.

"No," answered the vampire. "I was a twenty-five-year-old man when I became a vampire, and the year was seventeen ninety-one."

The boy was startled by the preciseness of the date and he repeated it before he asked, "How did it come about?"

"There's a simple answer to that. I don't believe I want to give simple answers," said the vampire. "I think I want to tell the real story--."

"Yes," the boy said quickly. He was folding his handkerchief over and over and wiping his lips now with it again.

"There was a tragedy--" the vampire started. "It was my younger brother--. He died." And then he stopped, so that the boy could clear his throat and wipe at his face again before stuffing the handkerchief almost impatiently into his pocket.

"It's not painful, is it?" he asked timidly.

"Does it seem so?" asked the vampire. "No." He shook his head. "It's simply that I've only told this story to one other person. And that was so long ago. No, it's not painful--.

"We were living in Louisiana then. We'd received a land grant and settled two indigo plantations on the Mississippi very near New Orleans--."

"Ah, that's the accent--" the boy said softly.

For a moment the vampire stared blankly. "I have an accent?" He began to laugh.

And the boy, flustered, answered quickly. "I noticed it in the bar when I asked you what you did for a living. It's just a slight sharpness to the consonants, that's all. I never guessed it was French."

"It's all right," the vampire assured him. "I'm not as shocked as I pretend to be. It's only that I forget it from time to time. But let me go on--."

"Please--" said the boy.

"I was talking about the plantations. They had a great deal to do with it, really, my becoming a vampire. But I'll come to that. Our life there was both luxurious and primitive. And we ourselves found it extremely attractive. You see, we lived far better there than we could have ever lived in France. Perhaps the sheer wilderness of Louisiana only made it seem so, but seeming so, it was. I remember the imported furniture that cluttered the house." The vampire smiled. "And the harpsichord; that was lovely. My sister used to play it. On summer evenings, she would sit at the keys with her back to the open French windows. And I can still remember that thin, rapid music and the vision of the swamp rising beyond her, the moss-hung cypresses floating against the sky. And there were the sounds of the swamp, a chorus of creatures, the cry of the birds. I think we loved it. It made the rosewood furniture all the more precious, the music more delicate and desirable. Even when the wisteria tore the shutters off the attic windows and worked its tendrils right into the whitewashed brick in less that a year-- Yes, we loved it. All except my brother. I don't think I ever heard him complain of anything, but I knew how he felt. My father was dead then, and I was head of the family and I had to defend him constantly from my mother and sister. They wanted to take him visiting, and to New Orleans for parties, but he hated these things. I think he stopped going altogether before he was twelve. Prayer was what mattered to him, prayer and his leatherbound lives of the saints.

"Finally, I built him an oratory removed from the house, and he began to spend most of every day there and often the early evening. It was ironic, really. He was so different from us, so different from everyone, and I was so regular! There was nothing extraordinary about me whatsoever." The vampire smiled.

"Sometimes in the evening I would go out to him and find him in the garden near the oratory, sitting absolutely composed on a stone bench there, and I'd tell him my troubles, the difficulties I had with the slaves, how I distrusted the overseer or the weather or my brokers-- all the problems that made up the length and breadth of my existence. And he would always listen, making only a few comments, always sympathetic, so that when I left him I had the distinct impression he had solved everything for me. I didn't think I could deny him anything, and I vowed that no matter how it would break my heart to lose him, he could enter the priesthood when the time came. Of course, I was wrong." The vampire stopped.

For a moment the boy only gazed at him and then he started as if awakened from a deep thought, and he floundered, as if he could not find the right words. "Ah-- he didn't want to be a priest?" the boy asked. The vampire studied him as if trying to discern to meaning of his expression. Then he said:

"I meant that I was wrong about myself, about my not denying him anything." His eyes moved over the far wall and fixed on the panes of the window. "He began to see visions."

"Real visions?" the boy asked, but again there was hesitation, as if he were thinking of something else.

"I don't think so," the vampire answered. "It happened when he was fifteen. He was very handsome then. He had the smoothest skin and the largest blue eyes. He was robust, not thin as I am now and was then-- but his eyes-- it was as if when I looked into his eyes I was standing alone on the edge of the world-- on a windswept ocean beach. There was nothing but the soft roar of the waves.

Amazon.com Review

In the now-classic novel Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice refreshed the archetypal vampire myth for a late-20th-century audience. The story is ostensibly a simple one: having suffered a tremendous personal loss, an 18th-century Louisiana plantation owner named Louis Pointe du Lac descends into an alcoholic stupor. At his emotional nadir, he is confronted by Lestat, a charismatic and powerful vampire who chooses Louis to be his fledgling. The two prey on innocents, give their "dark gift" to a young girl, and seek out others of their kind (notably the ancient vampire Armand) in Paris. But a summary of this story bypasses the central attractions of the novel. First and foremost, the method Rice chose to tell her tale--with Louis' first-person confession to a skeptical boy--transformed the vampire from a hideous predator into a highly sympathetic, seductive, and all-too-human figure. Second, by entering the experience of an immortal character, one raised with a deep Catholic faith, Rice was able to explore profound philosophical concerns--the nature of evil, the reality of death, and the limits of human perception--in ways not possible from the perspective of a more finite narrator.

While Rice has continued to investigate history, faith, and philosophy in subsequent Vampire novels (including The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the Body Thief, Memnoch the Devil, and The Vampire Armand), Interview remains a treasured masterpiece. It is that rare work that blends a childlike fascination for the supernatural with a profound vision of the human condition. --Patrick O'Kelley

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

It seems amazing to me that I didn't get around to reading this book until years after it had been first published, especially because I'm a big vampire fan. I was working in a bookstore and finally picked it up...and couldn't put it down until I'd finished it. Interview is one of those books that stays with you long after you've read it. I still have moments were something will remind me of it and I'll sit there thinking about a particular scene or character. It was only a few months after reading this, and tearing through the sequel, as well, that I went to work for Ballantine and got the chance to sell Anne Rice's books as well as read them. I guess it was fate.

Lisa Congelosi, Ballantine Sales Rep. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Anne Rice is the author of twenty-seven books. She lives in Rancho Mirage, California.

From the Paperback edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Rice turned the vampire genre on its ear with this first novel (LJ 5/1/76), which evolved into one of the most popular series in recent history. Though the quality of the books has declined, this nonetheless is a marvelous, innovative, and literate tale of the longing for love and the search for redemption. This 20th-anniversary edition offers a trade-size paperback for a good price.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

We are in a small room with the vampire, face to face, as he speaks--as he pours out the hypnotic, shocking, moving, and erotically charged confessions of his first two hundred years as one of the living dead. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004AM5R20
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books; Reissue edition (November 17, 2010)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 17, 2010
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3852 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 354 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #15,165 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #21 in Vampire Horror
- #33 in Contemporary Fantasy Fiction
- #60 in Horror Suspense

Customer Reviews:
5,856 ratings

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Anne Rice

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Anne Rice was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, which provided the backdrop for many of her famous novels. She was the author of more than 30 books, including her first novel, Interview with the Vampire, which was published in 1976. It has since gone on to become one of the best-selling novels of all time, and was adapted into a major motion picture starring Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst, and Antonio Banderas. In addition to The Vampire Chronicles, Anne was the author of several other best-selling supernatural series including Mayfair Witches, Queen of the Damned, the Wolf Gift, and Ramses the Damned. Under the pen name A.N. Roquelaure, Anne was the author of the erotic (BDSM) fantasy series, The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy. Under the pen name Anne Rampling she was the author of two erotic novels, Exit to Eden and Belinda. A groundbreaking artist whose work was widely beloved in popular culture, Anne had this to say of her work: "I have always written about outsiders, about outcasts, about those whom others tend to shun or persecute. And it does seem that I write a lot about their interaction with others like them and their struggle to find some community of their own. The supernatural novel is my favorite way of talking about my reality. I see vampires and witches and ghosts as metaphors for the outsider in each of us, the predator in each of us...the lonely one who must grapple day in and day out with cosmic uncertainty."

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

5,856 global ratings

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Biting into the World of Vampires: A Review of Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire”

Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2023

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"Interview with the Vampire" is a dark and captivating novel written by Anne Rice that explores the supernatural world of vampires. The book is a timeless classic that has been entertaining audiences since its publication in 1976. Three years after I was born.

The novel follows the story of Louis, a young man who is transformed into a vampire by the mysterious and charismatic Lestat. Together, they embark on a journey through centuries of existence, encountering other supernatural creatures and navigating the complexities of their existence as vampires. The story is told through a series of flashbacks and conversations between Louis and a young reporter, who is conducting an interview with him about his life as a vampire.

What makes this book so enthralling is the way Rice weaves together elements of horror, romance, and existentialism to create a rich and vivid world. The characters are well-developed and complex, and the dialogue is sharp and insightful. Rice’s prose is elegant and evocative, and she creates an atmosphere of dread and beauty that is hard to resist.

In addition to its engaging narrative, "Interview with the Vampire" is also a thought-provoking commentary on the human condition. Rice explores themes of mortality, identity, and what it means to be alive, and the book will leave readers with a lot to ponder long after they have finished it.

Overall, "Interview with the Vampire" is a must-read for fans of horror and supernatural fiction. Rice's writing is masterful, and the story is timeless and enduring. Whether you are a seasoned fan or a newcomer to the world of vampires, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

AMC's IWTV made me do it

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2023

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I bought this because I was hooked on AMC's tv adaptation of Interview with the Vampire. It's also my first Anne Rice novel. I don't normally delve into the horror genre but I became so intrigued in the Vampire Chronicles universe that I wanted to have better context.

The writing takes some getting used to but I quickly found my rhythm with it. I'm glad I finally read this, and can now say I've read another prolific writer in Anne Rice.

One person found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2023

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I want to start off by saying I have yet to watch the movie, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Wow I definitely underestimated this book. It’s very erotic and a heck of a thriller. A book is not a great book unless it makes you envision every single detail, and smell all the smells, and see all there is to see. This book is beautifully written . The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because it has its moments where it seems to drag and gets a bit boring. Then it hits you with something super exciting and you can’t put it down!

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One person found this helpful

Phillip C. the Artist

Sometimes a book comes along....

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2014

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Sometimes a book comes along that pulls you in, and takes you far away from what you know, opening doors to other worlds and a life you had never dreamed of. A book that will haunt you for the rest of your life 'Interview With The Vampire' is one of those novels, like Wuthering Heights, Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, Frankenstein, that sweeps you away in it's twists and turns challenging ones psyche with it's soaring breadth of incredible storytelling and imagination.
Well, I will tell you, this novel is right at home with these classics.
As I read this novel the main story blazed like a great flame and magically lit my imagination and memory leaving an indelible and endearing mark .
"Anne Rice's indomitable spirit shines and here you see how her intricate descriptions and talent of invoking deep emotions could fuel a literary career of legendary proportion."
In this story Louis relates a tale of his reluctant immortality, a morose and emotionally frail man who has suffered great loss. Taken over by a force a charisma embodied in the likes of the vampire Lestat, a vain, selfish, sadistic, and 'even' *gasp* ..sardonic individual driven by his mercurial and unbridled whims. This book transformed the typical sinister vampire of mysterious gloom and doom into a wild byronic character full of philosophy and ideas, topped with a stylish and dramatic flair. An entrepreneur of acquiring property and means of great wealth. Never mind the old dark and dank castles of old, these immortals live in the lap of luxury in every way. Lestat ,you see, though not the main character somehow seems to dominate the narrative and oddly Lestat has forever seemed to be present in the chronicles even when he is not. I believe he is one of the greatest literary characters of our time and is forever entertaining in his adventures good and bad.
In the tale we are transported to New Orleans 200 years ago. In Anne's words gabled houses come to life and you feel as if the tension is real. You can practically hear the crickets chirping in the night and feel the sensation, the desperation Louis conveys. There is a kind of preternatural longing in the progression of the events. Events addressing deep seated subjects that we have at one time or another felt in our psyche and maybe could not articulate?
What I found most interesting is this novels structure. It is quite different from any I have ever read. On contemplating this I realized there are passages in 'Interview' that are very like our deep unconscious dreams, so real and full of odd circumstances you wake remembering the whole but then small fragments come back during the day. There are so many odd occurrences a doll shop, a tower, a subterranean lair, Armand scaling a tower with Louis, fighting monstrous creatures, along with surprising and terrible incidences that fill the whole. There is the main events that shift and change place but will end up uniting in a surprising way.
I think it would not be too far fetched to compare this work to a surrealist painting such as Dali. You have the basis of a regular painting. When viewing his work it draws you in, you start to realize a clock is not just a clock it is melting on the landscape in which it lay and is quite altered and with a title like 'Persistence of Memory' the painting stirs the imagination to no end.
Here in IWTV you have man transformed to something unnatural a creature seeking comfort and there are relationships but they are severely altered by the vampiric natures of these individuals. The whole question of death and our existence is challenged and begs for conversation on the subject of immortality.
Claudia is a lovely young girl eternally trapped in a childs body and the limitations of her stature brings terrible frustration. Those who fall for her compulsive charms are usually teetering on the threshold of doom. Louis is repulsed by his need to kill and tries in vain to fight it with alternatives. His relationships crumble and his inner drive to survive propels him forward. Torn by his desire to love and his circumstantial and inner fluctuating need for independence.
One of the greatest inventions that I feel seals this story into immortality is the blending of Theatre and Vampirism. The reality of the vampiric condition is portrayed in a theatrical production luring a mortal audience into an entertainment that is a true twist of the ordinary suspension of disbelief.
In Interview Anne Rice raises a production that envelopes you in layers of atmosphere and longing. Many authors draw from deep pain and here Anne Rice transformed hers into a masterpiece.
This book prompted me to attend the 'Anne Rice Vampire Lestat Ball'. Check it out @ http://www.arvlfc.com I was amazed at the people who loved her work. It was incredible to walk the streets of New Orleans and get a feel for what she was talking about. 'Interview With a Vampire' opened up a world I never knew. Her presence on Facebook and Amazon has taught me so much about her process and the art of writing and for this I am forever grateful. This year is a banner year for Anne Rice fans in that there is a new book arriving called 'Prince Lestat.' I highly recommend attending the ball if not this year then next. You will most likely see Anne Rice there and see the place where it all began.
Did I fail to mention.... I love this book!

44 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2023

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Perfect condition, cover as pictured

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2023

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Good book

Top reviews from other countries

Keith Crawford

Essential reading for any vampire fan, but no longer the book it once was.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2020

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In the words of Lestat: Stop whining Louis!

The problem with creating a great, original work is that everyone copies you and, eventually, you look just as derivative as anyone else who writes about vampires for whom eternal life is a great torment they can only assuage via romance with children. I’m taking the piss a little bit (just a little, and mostly out of other books), but Anne Rice changed the vampire genre and, forty years later, thousands of words of Louis complaining of the agony that comes with killing is a little tired.

I was in the forces; I can promise you there are people that kill and then sleep fine. It is absolutely something you can get used to. Plus, I’m totally ready to take a shot at living forever: there are plenty of men and women out there killing for a mediocre salary and a uniform, which is by any standard a much worse deal.

Yet the passion in Rice’s first novel is still there. In later novels she becomes more professional, writes tighter script, but there is something to be said for the way she pours everything she has into Louis endless indecision, doubt and despair. Accept him as he is – as he tells you he is – a deeply flawed protagonist, indulge in some eternal adolescent anguish, and there is a lot to enjoy.

Plus, this book is it. Without Interview with the Vampire you don’t have Buffy, you don’t have Twilight, you don’t have True Blood. If you are at all a vampire fan, then you must read this book.

38 people found this helpful

MARK C

Why Is Book 2 Not Availabe On Kindle

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2020

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Interview With A Vampire is a great read and I was looking forward to downloading the second book in the series onto my kindle, only to find it is not available, however book three is.

Come on Amazon get your act together some of us like to read our books in order.

Lestat will be giving Mr Besos a visit at this rate.

14 people found this helpful

kellybean

A wonderfully macabre vampire story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2020

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I absolutely love the film Interview with a Vampire, so I had to read the book, it goes without saying that books are always so much better than the movie! I wasn't disappointed with this one. The whole book is in the format of an interview, so a lot of it is Louis telling the story and then there are small exchanges between the interviewer and Louis, but most is Louis narrating his life (or should I say, death).

It starts off in the same way, a young journalist begins interviewing the vampire (I can't help but picture Christian Slater and Brad Pitt here). The story of how Louis became a vampire is much more complex than the movie, and the early years of Louis and Lestat's life together is a dysfunctional and manipulative relationship.

My favourite character is Claudia, how could it not be? Little Kirstin Dunst was amazing, but in the book she is much younger, just 5 years old when she is turned which makes her character and the storyline so much more sinister and unsettling! Her mind continues to grow while her body stays the same. This results in some very uncomfortable exchanges between her and Louis, their relationship is extremely complicated, it toes the line between father and daughter and lovers. It is uncomfortable.

As we move throughout the story, the core remains similar to the movie, but of course it is much more embellished and there are many more subplots that make the book an absolute delight to read.

It is completely captivating and I couldn't put it down. Definitely worth a read if you're a fan of the movie, or just love vampire literature in general. It is the bar against which all other vampire literature is set. You won't be disappointed.

7 people found this helpful

tea-rex

Not my style, don't get the hype.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 6, 2022

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For the record, I am all about dark, gothic horror stories. I have been meaning to get into Rice's novels for some time, and thought I would start out with perhaps the most iconic one out there.

Unfortunately, this experience has sworn me off Rice's books for the future. So far as the story goes, I just could not get into it at all. Rice's style of writing just doesn't float my boat.

I found the narration by the main character to be extremely boring, depressing even, and it did not draw me into the world whatsoever. I didn't give up on this right away, having give it a good few nights to see if the story would pick up pace.

For reference, I got through a good chunk of the book before I gave up completely and decided to never open it again! Just not my thing.

Masefield

Wonderful misery

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2022

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This is a book I have read three times, the most recent nearly
35 years after the first. He Ricean vampire is the progenitor of most vampires novels over the past 40 years, only Stoker having a larger impact on the genre. The characters are wonderfully described, their longings, passions, desires and pains all painstakingly brought to life. Although a must read for fans of vampire literature, the book is not an easy read. The protagonist is one of the most miserable creatures ever described.

One person found this helpful

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