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A review by crimsonpermanentassurance
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
4.0
I first read this book when I was in my early teens, and it was interesting to observe that while the book has remained the same, the reader has changed over 20 years. My then-self would have rated this a solid five stars, while now, I give it a soft 4.
What has remained the same is the delight in the sheer gothic juiciness of this sprawling book. It truly is southern gothic at its finest.
As an adult, certain things were far more horrifying to me that strangely didn't phase my younger self at all. I also came to empathize with Carlotta Mayfair a whole lot more as an adult.
It was a real trip down memory lane - not just revisiting old characters and fictional events, but the sense memory of where I was (physically and emotionally) the first time I read it: It was over the course of maybe a week during summer vacation, on the outdoor swing of our yard. I remember the sound of cicadas and crickets, and the heat of summer. This time, it took months, in bites, before falling asleep at night, and as a result, it just didn't resonate as strongly as it did that first time.
What has remained the same is the delight in the sheer gothic juiciness of this sprawling book. It truly is southern gothic at its finest.
As an adult, certain things were far more horrifying to me
Spoiler
the incest, rape, and genetic breeding of a monsterIt was a real trip down memory lane - not just revisiting old characters and fictional events, but the sense memory of where I was (physically and emotionally) the first time I read it: It was over the course of maybe a week during summer vacation, on the outdoor swing of our yard. I remember the sound of cicadas and crickets, and the heat of summer. This time, it took months, in bites, before falling asleep at night, and as a result, it just didn't resonate as strongly as it did that first time.