The Opposite of Life by Narrelle M Harris
Pulp Fiction Press RRP: $21.95 pb ISBN 9780975112922 (2008)
A thriller about vampires narrated by a librarian and set in Melbourne? I’m in!
Not only does Lissa the librarian have a painful family history to deal with but she’s just starting to get over having been dumped by her loser boyfriend. Maybe going out with a hot, new guy may help to ease the pain but unfortunately, people keep being gruesomely murdered wherever she’s out trying to have a good time. From the looks of things, a vampire may be responsible.
“I may have an unnaturally close relationship with the Dewey decimal system
but I do like to dance.” (Lissa)
Lissa’s going to have to find out more about vampires and their world so when she meets Gary, a nerdy but very likeable vampire detective, they join forces to investigate the crimes. “You can tell a lot about a person by what they have on their shelves”, says Lissa. Well, wouldn’t you like to know what’s in a vampire’s book/dvd collection?
When Lissa’s sister and mother get involved, life gets even more complicated and as her protagonists track the killers through Melbourne’s streets, Harris provides enticing snapshots of the city’s bookshops, cafés and nightlife. She also dips her hat to libraries and librarians. Here, Lissa enthuses about one of her favourites:
“The State Library is my idea of a holy place. It’s grand, it’s beautiful and it’s full of books. … My Year Ten English teacher once got us to write stories about what we’d do if we were immortal. I wrote that I’d read every single book and journal housed in that library.”
A light, entertaining, and humorous read, it’s refreshing to see a different take with a grrl librarian taking the lead because those boring, anachronistic stereotypes are sooo over. In fact, it’s time to put them to rest for good.
Harris is in the process of finishing the sequel to The Opposite of Life which is due for publication later this year or in early 2011. You can visit her website here.
© Paula Grunseit 2010
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