Vampire Weekend

Louise Chao lives a solitary life as a vampire. Then people show up on her doorstep—her despised brother Stephen, now an aging grandfather, and his grandson Ian, whose mother is dying of cancer. Keeping their family ties under wraps, Louise is ready to move them along until she discovers that Ian holds the same passion for music as she does. As their relationship grows through guitar lessons and concerts, a blood shortage forces her to connect with the vampire community through their organizer’s new app. When Ian realizes Louise is a vampire, they are both drawn into situations that will change their lives, and Louise realizes that she has a chance to rediscover her family connection. The novel’s intriguing twists on vampire mythology, in relation to 21st-century existence, punk rock, and family dynamics, are weighed down by some slow exposition and superficial reveals, but Louise’s dynamic with Ian is a strong, central thread.