THE RADLEYS
BY MATT HAIG (Canongate £10)
Just when you thought Stephenie Meyer's bestselling Twilight books had sucked the idea of 21st-century vampires dry, along comes Matt Haig with this witty and humane story about a family of vampires living in respectable English suburbia.
Peter, a GP, and his wife Helen have been off the red sauce since the Eighties, following a strict abstinence regime while raising their two teenagers. But Peter is fed up with 'the timid old tea dance of human existence' and Helen finds herself looking at old photos, realising that it would only take a few nips and sucks for her to look almost that good again.
Their son Rowan has a bad rash from the sun cream he wears for his 'photodermatosis' and their daughter Clara is wilting on a vegan diet. But their fast (and maybe their cover) is broken when a party gets out of hand.
Haig writes in addictive, bite-size chapters that pump the action along. He has fun with all the Vampyre lore (garlic in the Thai Green Leaf Salad!) while keeping his characters convincing, original and likeable.
All vampire fiction has a strong sexual undercurrent; but in this book, the passion's not just for the pale-faced teens.
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