I like quirky books. I really like character-driven stories. I find myself really admiring authors who create many characters in one world, but give them each their own story…their own personality and life. Matt Haig did this for me in The Radleys. I’d randomly surfed across this book one day on Goodreads, and from there knew it was a book I needed to read. I don’t know how many of you have ever had this experience, but it happens to me on occasions. I find books through searches--and then I can’t stop thinking about them until I get my hands on them. It’s as if my subconscious knows it’s meant for me to experience. And I’m glad I finally had the opportunity to pick this one up because I absolutely loved it. This is probably not a book everyone will love. There will be a particular audience that adores it, and perhaps an audience that doesn’t quite find it so appealing. The thing I’d like to say though is that first and foremost, look past the word “vampires”. It’s so much more than that. Yes, it’s about vampires. There’s some dark humor sprinkled throughout, a bit of an adult cross-over parody at times on the take of modern vampire fiction, but through it all, it’s more than just a vampire story. The chapters are rather short, sometimes only a page in length at times. If you’re bothered by short chapters, then this feature may be aggravating to you. Personally, I’m not bothered by chapter length as long as it works properly to the flow of the story. It did here, so I found it fitting. What I really loved was the focus on the family. Who knew that even a family of vampires could have as much drama as a human family? I commend Matt Haig at making such a realistic family with real problems (bullies, etc.) that draw a reader right into the story. I sympathized with the characters.It’s intelligent and witty. Sometimes frightening and dark. Quirky and unexpected. Even if you’re out of touch with the whole vampire thing nowadays, I’d recommend this for the theme and the depth of the character building. I really quite enjoyed reading The Radleys and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.4.5 stars.
