Anne Rice has been and will continue to be my absolute favorite writer of all time. She is the reason I have begun writing novels and is the only writer besides Edgar Allen Poe I find myself reading over and over again. Interview with the Vampire is Anne Rice's first book in The Vampire Chronicles. This is not my favorite book of hers, but is still one of the best novels that I have read.
I think the biggest factor which separates this novel from others is the delivery of the story. It is actually quite hard to explain since there are a couple of narrators. Louis is the vampire being interviewed, but there is a boy who is recording the interview and plays a crucial role to the dialog within the novel. Rice is forced to play a story out through characters telling the story. Throughout the book she will switch back and forth from the main story to the dialogue between the boy and Louis.
The main plot centers around the history of Louis. He is the shining star within this book and everything is seen through his eyes. He begins his tale from the 1800's in New Orleans well before he was turned into a vampire by Lestat. Rice really goes in depth when creating this character Louis. From the very beginning I found myself in his corner. He is one of the few vampires who actually has a distaste of taking human life and sees it as immoral even after hundreds of years. Louis is also ridiculed by Lestat for spending time reading and learning rather than killing and partying.
I would guess that Rice had a special connection with Louis. Writers have a fascination with reading and learning. The way in which they improve their craft is by reading and therefore usually pick up quite a romantic depiction of literature. After Lestat turns Louis into a vampire after many years Lestat decides to increase their little group by adding a small child. The only reason he turns the child is so Louis will not leave him. Louis being the moral and emotional of the two decides to stay with Lestat helping him financially and being his companion because of the child vampire.
The story continues to develop with Louis continuing to grow and Lestat staying the same. A time comes when the child grows and decides to kill Lestat. Both the child and Louis have no idea what they are doing since Lestat did not explain how to kill a vampire and muck the entire plan up. I found especially in these parts that the author does an amazing job at describing the scene. Her depictions are extremely gruesome, but leave plenty to the imagination.
From what I took out of the text the writing delivers in metaphor a fight between individuality and conformity. The child is certain she wants all the restrictions lifted and is the main pursuer of freedom from Lestat. Louis on the other hand was quite comfortable with the life the three of them shared and was willing to give up nearly everything in the attempt to keep everything the same. When the child makes the move to kill Lestat, Louis is placed on a crossroad and even though it is extremely difficult to throw off the burdens and embrace major change he struggles greatly.
If you are a reader who enjoys wonderful descriptions, in depth characters, and overall great writing this is the book for you.
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