Ghosts, Werewolves, and Vampires, Oh My!

Vampires. Once they were monsters and predators, and now crushes and lovers? If Bram Stoker could see us now, in lieu of the Twilight franchise...

But let's back up here.

When I first read Interview With the Vampire, it came as a part of a long list of vampire and supernatural themed novels I'd been reading in high school in my own time. Before Interview, there was The Silver Kiss, Blood and Chocolate, Vamped, Bluebloods, Meg Cabot's The Mediator series, and yes, the infamous Twilight. One right after the other, I was reading these supernatural teen love stories. Definitely not the best writing specimens (with the exception of Vamped), so why was I so hooked? What made me so drawn to these types of stories, like a moth to a flame?

Perhaps it was the idea of having something or someone extraordinary----or rather, as a teen, BEING extraordinary. Every teen wants to feel special. Thanks to teen angst, media, home life, you name it---most of them don't. There's a feeling of isolation, of weirdness, of being the "other," and worrying about acceptance. Enter the mythos of the vampire, or really any supernatural creature. Taking on unfamiliar mutated traits, forced to do horrific acts as part of their nature, and forced into self-isolation form the norm---honestly, not much different than the internal struggles of your average teen.

The monster in question, be it a vampire, a ghost, or a werewolf, that's not the true focus. The books are less about those superpowers, the violence and danger, or the complications of having a supernatural lover; but more about relationships, and just teenage life, as a whole. Each of those books is really an exaggerated picture with just higher stakes. These books are about the risks we take in loving one another, dealing with changes to ourselves and other, and being thrown into the blurred morality of the adult world.

So why did I read them? Perhaps it was my way of understanding a world that felt tumultuous at the time. Like exaggerate parables. Or maybe they gave me something I could compare with my own boring life in my search for meaning. Hah, or maybe it was just a part of being an art kid, to want that escapism. Or maybe, it was like a form of passive rebellion. I saw characters defy expectation, and as an honor student who never skipped school, partied, or snuck out; I suppose I wanted to do the same. Because with strict Catholic parents, it was definitely better to live vicariously, then get grounded til' kingdom come.