re:mote voices

Title: Thirsty
Author: M.T. Anderson
Publisher:

I think M.T. Anderson is really considered to be targeting the teen market, though his novels don’t necessarily make a big deal of that, and are certainly readable enough as they are. I had previously read his most recent novel Feed, which was his science fiction contribution. Revolving around the idea of people developing plug-ins for the head, which provide direct links to the Feed, a network evolved from the internet – with all the pros and cons of today’s internet, i.e. an abundance of information and entertainment, with the targeted marketing and bombardment of adverts.

I recently came across Thirsty in a sale, his second novel. Like Feed, Thirsty features young adults, going through a crucial life phase, presented with problems particular to the themes of the book. While Feed’s theme was technology and the future, Thirsty is about vampirism, or more subtly in terms of what it is really about, it is about changes in the body and how frightening and alarming these can be.

The main character is a school kid, struggling to keep friendships that were key when he was younger, and discovering the appeal of girls for the first time. This is set against the background of a small town, at the time of its annual spring time celebration. However, the particular thing about this celebration that makes it different is that it is a sealing ritual – the annual reinforcement of the bonds that keep the first vampire buried beneath the local lake. Of course to make the main character’s life difficult, he realises that is actually experiencing the early stages of vampirism. To make things even worse, he is approached by a strange man, claiming to be an agent of light, warning that the vampires are planning to disrupt the ritual, returning the ancient one to earth so that he can lay it to waste, with the idea of course, that only this young boy can help him save the world.

Thirsty twists and turns this kid around, isolating him from his peers, struggling to come to terms with what is going on. On the one hand fantasising about a girl at school, how she might save him, or how impressed she’ll be if he saves the world. On the other feeling increasingly uncertain about how things are going to turn out, each night losing a little bit more of his humanity, and recognising the momentum events are taking on around him. M.T. Anderson writes novels that flow well, bringing in his big ideas that give them that touch of madness, driving those forward in a smart way, with a good mix of humour and concept. Perhaps not literary masterpieces, but the kind of thing that is an easy and fun read.