Thirsty by M.T. Anderson

Chris is a normal teenager. His best friends, Tom and Jerk, may not be the friends of his dreams, but at least he has some. Rebecca, the girl of his dreams, may not be in his league, but at least he can still admire her from afar. His parents have informed he and his brother, Paul, that they are getting divorced when Chris goes off to college, but at least they are still together for now. His life is far from ideal, but it is pretty standard fare for a teenager in America.

That's when things start to get a little weird. He's always hungry, can't seem to eat enough. At night, he just lies awake, unable to fall asleep. He's thirsty, but water feels too thin. One day, while traipsing through the forest, he gets into a fight with Tom. Someone across the river draws his attention to his reflection in the water--or lack thereof--it has to be a trick, right?

Vampires are nothing new in Chris's world. There are bodies found around town more frequently lately. His brother drags him to a vampire lynching, and the girl being killed seems to recognize him. It doesn't really start to hit home until he meets Chet. Okay, that's not really his name, but who can pronounce a pattern of thought? Chet the Celestial Being offers Chris a way out. He just needs a favor in return. All Chris has to do is thwart the vampires' plan to resurrect their Vampire Lord, and in exchange, Chet will remove the curse of vampirism. Easy...easier perhaps if it didn't involve meeting the vampires at a pot luck dinner.

Anderson weaves together the angst of adolescence and becoming a vampire together until you almost forget that humans don't naturally morph into vampires at a certain age. Chris's struggles may be unique in some ways, but are certainly not in others. We all face situations in which we want to believe that someone will save us. The thirst grows with every day, and soon he fears for those around him. All the vampire fans out there will enjoy this, as well as anyone who is looking for a good adolescent tale of the pain that is necessary to grow.

"'In the midst of life, we are in death. Of whom may we seek for succor, sucker?' He smiles at me. Then he vanishes and leaves me appalled; for I know, and realize, that all he has said is true," (Anderson pg. 226, 1997).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore
Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan
Vampire Kisses series by Ellen Schreiber

Anderson, M.T. (1997). Thirsty. Candlewick Press: Cambridge, MA.