REVIEW: The Radleys (Matt Haig)

Book: The Radleys

Author: Matt Haig

Premise: The Radleys are an everyday family who juggle dysfunctional lives. Except, as Peter and Helen Radley know but their children have yet to find out, the Radleys happen to be a family of abstaining vampires. When one night Clara finds herself driven to commit a bloodthirsty act, her parents decide to explain a few things.

What I love about Matt Haig's books is that he manages to capture life and the struggles we all face, and dress it nicely as a metaphor underpinning the book. Oh, and the book is always super fun and will make you chuckle.

Here we have the Radleys as they strive to conform to what they deem as normal, rather than accept the fact that they are vampires. The parents force the family to hide their true nature and instincts, which leads to them not being that happy and exacerbates their kids' teenage insecurities. We get to join them as their secret is revealed to the kids and they fight with the expectations they've put on themselves.

To make it more fun, there's a messy love triangle with uncle Will, who embraces his vampire-ness, a police unit dedicated to policing vampires, and small town gossip/politics. I cracked up at how Lord Byron is a vampire and is currently living as a DJ in Ibiza. There's a good amount of light to take the edge off the heavier, more difficult themes.