A review by dorin_d
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I enjoyed reading this book, even though many parts of the book stressed me out. I was shocked to find out Grady Hendrix was a man, as he was able to capture the gaslighting and disrespect the housewives experience with their condescending husbands, and how extremely undervalued the female domestic labour is. I was frustrated on behalf of Patricia, who made many attempts to protect her children and the community around her but faced resistance from the very people she was trying to help. Hendrix has a talent in writing horror, as the scenes with the insects and rodents made me squeamish and I had to skip ahead. The only disappointment was that I was expecting this book to have strong female friendships, with these undervalued mothers and wives realizing what they have in common and joining together to defeat the enemy; and while it’s true that
the ladies worked together to dismember James Harris at the end
I was disappointed at how wishywashy the ladies were, and how they
ridiculed and betrayed their friend Patricia many times until Slick was attacked and required her guilt tripping while she was dying for them to ultimately work together
. I believe if Patricia and Ms Greene had worked together from the start, this book would have been a lot shorter. 
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