Aubrey Wants to Die (Pip Knight, HarperCollins)

Pip Knight, the pen name of Pip Drysdale, takes her first foray into vampire fiction with Aubrey Wants to Die, an angsty and darkly funny look at what makes an immortal life worth living. The novel follows reluctant vampire Aubrey, a listless 150-year-old who spends her days in London. She has wanted to die since she woke up on her first night as a vampire, though she has yet to find a way to end her own immortality. Recently dumped by Jonathan, the man she believes to be her soulmate, Aubrey wants nothing more than to win him back. But when Oscar, Aubrey’s long-lost vampire maker, re-enters her life, her peaceful reality turns to chaos. Oscar brings with him a series of revelations – including the fact that vampires can die – forcing Aubrey into an unexpected moral reckoning as she realises she may have finally found something to live for. Though Aubrey is a vampire, her struggles, desires and moral conflicts feel very human. That said, the characters, writing style and plot lean more towards a modern millennial romance than the gothic tradition of Dracula or Interview with the Vampire. The novel will appeal to fans of The Twilight Saga, as well as readers of Drysdale’s The Close Up and The Next Girl. Aubrey Wants to Die will also suit anyone who wishes that Dolly Alderton’s Good Material had a little more bloodlust.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Gabby Spina is an emerging writer and bookseller based in Meanjin. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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