Vampire tale ‘sly and glittering’
Author’s passion for the undead stems from study of Victorian age
LONDON — Novelist Lauren Owen was only seven when she first discovered vampires.
It was the first step on a creative journey that has led to the publication of The Quick, a debut novel hailed by Booker prizewinner Hillary Mantel as a “a sly and glittering addition to the literature of the macabre.”
This kind of praise could easily turn a young 29-yearold’ s head. But Owen is measured in her response. She’s grateful for such a glowing endorsement, but she’s anxious to stress that the book was often a struggle.
“There were times when I was sort of despairing,” she says shyly. “But the moments of sheer enjoyment writing it kept me persevering.”
And much of that enjoyment stemmed from two consuming passions. One is vampire culture. The other is Victorian England.
The Quick, published in Canada by McClelland and Stewart, embraces both elements in portraying a sinister world that flourishes beneath the radar in the London of 1892. An aspiring young poet named James Norbury mysteriously disappears. His devoted sister Charlotte comes to the great city in search of him, makes some horrifying discoveries about his fate, and — with the assistance of friends — makes last-ditch efforts to save him from a living death.
Much of the action revolves around a mysterious private club called the Aegolius — a place known for its respectability but also for its sinister eccentricities. There are no servants and no wine cellar, and the windows are forever darkened. Could it be the private enclave of vampires? And is it sanctuary for a serial killer?
Owen’s narrative has the reassuring texture of a classic Victorian novel — and that makes its spooky discords all the more unsettling. For her, vampire culture is readily at home in this world.
Her interest in Victorian literature and gothic studies is ongoing. She’s currently working on her PhD on these subjects at Durham University. Vampires are an endlessly fascinating byproduct, and she credits this to the fact that she was an impressionable and imaginative child.
“I remember having a vampire story read to me in school when I was about seven, with this idea of the vampire and the victim sleepwalking to the vampire’s door. I found it fascinating, and as I began to read vampire fiction, I found it quite visceral, if that is the right word, that the vampire can be so utterly terrifying, yet so attractive and forbidden.”
Which leads to the inevitable question. What does Owen, who might best be defined as a vampire classicist, think of author Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight frenzy?
“I’ve found it very interesting as a phenomenon — this very passionate outpouring of love towards a fictional couple and also towards a new and rather interesting depiction of vampires.”
Some critics see Meyer’s books as sanitized vampire fiction. Owen is simply intrigued — especially by the character of Edward Cullen.
“I think they’re written to satisfy a need or want in the reader ... It reminds me a little bit of being a teenager — of wanting to be seen, wanting to be recognized, by somebody glamorous and a million miles away from your sort of lowly situation. So I sympathize with the sort of intense teenage feeling that goes with the books.”
The Quick begins with a spooky childhood prologue in which the young James is trapped in a secret place — an old priest hole dating back to an era of religious persecution — in the family library. A traumatizing experience for a sensitive youngster, it casts a long shadow over the subsequent narrative. It also is the first demonstration of Owen’s skill at conveying fear of the unknown.
Owen grew up in a gatehouse on the grounds of the Yorkshire boarding school where her father taught. It’s an old man or house, complete with imposing entrance hall and grand staircase.
“In term times, it’s very bustling, full of students and stuff, but in the summer holidays, when it’s empty, it has this atmosphere which made an imprint on my imagination.”
That was especially true of the school library.
“It’s always been something I’ve enjoyed — the gothic mood and the spooky house and the dark and stormy night.” She’s laughing gently now. “I’ve always found them so enjoyable.”
But why vampires in particular?
“They are a wonderful device — incredibly versatile for a writer in what they can convey. They lend themselves to a lot of different fears and they can be translated easily into a lot of different settings and different genres.”
When she was labouring over The Quick, she thought she would be done with vampires once she completed it. It was only when her character started hitting serious roadblocks that she realized what was wrong. There were two books here, not one.
Novel No. 2, taking us right up to modern times, is on its way. In the meantime, Owen knows what she wants readers to take from these ventures into vampire lore.
“I hope I will engross people,” she says, “and leave them slightly dazed when they emerge into the real world again.”