Review: Blackwood Farm

I have not read all of Rice's novels yet--not even close--but I have to say so far this one is my favorite. The only others in the Vampire Chronicles I have read are Interview, Lestat, and Queen of the Damned. And to be honest, Vampire novels are not really my thing. But there is something about the way Anne Rice writes--I would read anything if she wrote it. 

Blackwood Farm is a story about a Vampire who, in his mortal life, was joined to his spirit doppelganger, haunted by spirits only he could see, struggled with his sexuality, and was abandoned more times that even imaginable. He seeks the vampire Lestat to intervene and rid the world of his, now evil, doppelganger which is threatening his mortal family, as well as to seek answers about his new immortal life. 

This book stuck out to me for several reasons.  First of all, and probably most importantly, I felt as if this book belonged along side the novels I read in college when I studied literature. Rice, as usual, has woven in so many different topics, and made so many strong statements, all within one story. The main theme I drew from this is the outcast, or isolation. 

Within every one of Rice's novels you see the theme of the outcast. That theme doesn't take much thought to notice. But this story in particular touches on that theme in more ways than just the vampire motif we have come to love. Yes, when the characters become vampires, they become outcasts. They no longer can interact among humans and have to give up family and friends. That is what happens when Tarquin Blackwood becomes a vampire. However, he doesn't become a vampire until very near to the end of the book and he is an outcast since birth. 

First, he is an outcast due to the fact that he is haunted by a spirit that only he can see. His doppelganger, Goblin, follows him everywhere and copies him, becoming more and more intelligent as Tarquin ages. He is Tarquins first, and often only, friend. But he is also often a jealous friend. A jealous friend who will ultimately cause destruction and death to those Tarquin hold dear. 

Secondly, Tarquin sees other spirits besides just Goblin. He sees the ghost of Rebecca, a family member who was murdered, as well as others. This is isolating as, more than once, his sanity is questioned. Occasional characters come into his life that can either see Goblin, or pretend to, but they are all taken away from him just as quickly as they come. Tarquin longs for companionship from someone who completely understands his gift. This point is solidified when we meet Mona Mayfair (a character from the Mayfair family of which Rice wrote the Mayfair Witch Chronicles) Tarquin falls instantly in love with her due to the fact that she could see the spirits like he could.

Tarquin has several quick love affairs and sexual encounters with both men and women, Once, he even has an encounter with Goblin, which can be seen as an extension of himself. Good old fashion Catholic guilt is for sure the third type of isolation in this story. This is confirmed when we meet Petronia, a vampire who is physically both male and female, but has chosen, most often, to live as a woman (a female gladiator in her mortal life.) She alone would be easy to write an entire post about. The fact that she is the vampire to create Tarquin is immense knowing her story of isolation and her struggles with gender. The theme of sexuality is found in all of Rice's novels, but is handled more directly in Blackwood Farm, in my opinion.

Then there is the issue of Tarquin's mother, who he didn't grow up knowing as his mother, but as his aunt. He learns early on that she gave him up to be raised by his grandfather, but it isn't until the end of the novel that we understand why the hatred for him exists. We learn early on that Tarquin was not only unwanted, but that his mother was paid to keep him.Again, an entire post could be written about this relationship alone.

 We learned in the beginning of the novel that Tarquin sought out Lestat to help him be rid of Goblin who is suspected of becoming strong (and a vampire) by feeding on Tarquin's blood after a hunt. So it is not a surprise when we find ourselves in the last chapter battling to the death with Goblin. What we don't know in the beginning is if Lestat will be killing Tarquin as well. In the beginning of the novel, Tarquin is delivering a letter telling his story to Lestat's home, only to be walked in on. The bulk of the novel is back story leading up to Tarquin being turned into a vampire, and all the while we have no idea whether Lestat will respond negatively or positively to the intrusion (but it is Lestat, after all. Didn't we all expect him to welcome this outsider in?)

As usual, we examine spirituality, specifically Catholicism,  heavily in this book. One scene in particular that stood out to me was when the vampires attend a memorial and take communion, What follows is a gentle statement about whether they are still worthy of this sacrament which is the single symbol the Catholic faith revolves around. Hmmm I am not one bit surprised to see Rice bluntly commenting on the religious "outsider" being actually within the love of their God. 

Phew! So much is packed into one novel, and I could have kept going! So much history straight from her previous novels and so much to be looked at through the lens of the outsider. Beautiful! I simply cannot wait to dive into more in this series, and of course, Prince Lestat when it comes out in the fall!