Book Review: Lucy Undying by Kiersten White

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Book: Lucy Undying by Kiersten White

Genre: Gothic Fantasy, Sapphic Fantasy, Women’s Fiction

Publisher: Del Rey Books (Penguin Randomhouse)

This review contain a short summary, and the analysis references some of the general plot. I left out major spoilers and twists. The review mentions the characters’ relationship dynamics for context.  

Every once in a while, a book will take me by surprise. I picked up Lucy Undying by Kiersten White expecting to read another Dracula retelling for the Halloween season, and I ended the book with hundreds of annotations and a head full of thoughts. This book will live on my shelves forever as a manifesto of how women must fight every day for ourselves and each other to be heard and to be valued in our natural state. This isn’t just a vampire book, this is one of the darkest women’s fiction pieces I’ve read to date, and I will never stop thinking about it.   

Summary:

Lucy Undying by Kiersten White follows Lucy Westenra, one of Dracula’s vampires, as she navigates who she is in her immortality. She is drawn to finding Dracula to figure out why he turned her and what her new purpose is in the eternal condition she was forced into. The author tells the story from multiple point-of-views in multiple time periods and locations. Through a mixture of prose, journal entries, and medical transcriptions, White paints a picture of Lucy’s past as a human, her awakening as a new vampire, and her present existence in modern society. After 100 years of wandering the world undead, Lucy meets a woman named Iris who changes the course of her journey and helps her redefine what it means to be happy and free.

Analysis:

Lucy Undying takes place in both the late 1800s and present day. The blending of historical fiction and modern times allows readers to contextualize why Lucy behaves the way she does. Lucy is eternally a wealthy nineteen-year-old from The Gilded Age with zero autonomy. Prior to being turned by Dracula, her sole purpose in everyone’s eyes was to get married and produce heirs to maintain her family’s fortune. This was a time when women had little to no say over their own minds and bodies, and it marked a precipice for the women’s suffrage movement. It is clear that Lucy’s insatiable quest for love and happiness in her vampiric life stems from the oppression and unfairness she was subject to in her human life. 

Iris, born into a rich empire of familial duty, has similar struggles to Lucy. Her own ethics are in direct conflict with her family’s plans for her, and she is suffocated by the societal expectations imposed upon her. Her storyline mirrors much of Lucy’s experience as a woman; however, through these dual perspectives we do see some of the progress made in women’s rights from the 1800s to present-day. 

Although many things are different, much remains the same from past to present. Both Lucy and Iris are exploited by matriarchal figures in their lives that have internalized the idea that if they play by the rules of the patriarchy, they will benefit from the system. Lucy and Iris’s mothers obsessively try to facilitate marriage to men, having children, and maintaining the family wealth because they have been conditioned to believe that is the only path to becoming a strong female. This couldn’t be further from the truth, and a lot of this story is about self-realization. It is about breaking free from faulty belief systems that are deeply rooted in both problematic history and fear of straying from what one knows.

Themes:

Lucy Undying is a sapphic novel. The representation of queer love is a driving theme in this book. When you read Lucy and Iris’s stories, you will see how patriarchal societies directly impact people that identify with the LGBTQIA+ community. Lucy was groomed to suppress her innate sexuality. During her human lifetime it was not even an option for her to openly love who she wanted to. She struggles with her identity in the book as she tries to balance what she knows in her heart versus what society tells her to do. In modern times, Iris has more of a choice to choose who she loves; however, her family still manages to stifle her autonomy by trying to control her reproductive rights. With these scenarios, White shows us how Lucy and Iris experience significant trauma for just being who they are.

Kiersten White adds an interesting aspect into her book that illuminates the predatory practices of MLM companies. I know that sounds like a bizarre addition to a vampire novel, but it works here with the thematics of the rest of the book. If we are looking at the repercussions of patriarchal societies, we have to discuss how vacuums are created in these systems that leave room for people or companies to seek out and take advantage of vulnerable individuals. These companies make promises of independence to people who feel stuck in their circumstances and who are simultaneously seeking purpose, community, financial freedom, etc… MLMs are notoriously criticized for profiting off the idea that women can use their business model to break the glass ceiling, when in reality women should be able to do that in the traditional workforce or individual business. Before anyone comes in hot with arguments against this—I’ve lived the MLM life, and then left it for good. At some point you need to acknowledge the monster for what it is. I appreciate an author addressing this in a fiction book, because it deserves attention. Even though this storyline might read as satire to some people, for those who have been pulled into one of these idealized opportunities, this part of the plot feels very real and very dark. 

I really liked the transformation of female friendships in Lucy Undying. A good portion of the book is Lucy interacting with other female vampires. Through all being turned by Dracula, they have a bond that draws them to one another throughout eternity. This may be a stretch, but I read the character of Dracula in this retelling to be representative of the patriarchy. He is the overarching male influence in the story, and also a perceived source of control over everything his vampires do. He has such an impact on their psyches, that they barely notice their toxic behavior in their dealings with each other. There is an evolution amongst Lucy and her fellow undead friends that is notable. In the beginning their interactions feel like a display of self-interest or self-preservation, but once they realize Dracula can only control them if they allow him to, they begin to act in a more unified way. The dynamics here show how, generally speaking, women do want to support each other when they are not being pitted against each other.

Overview:

I could continue on about this book, but I’ll wrap it up here. It is equal parts gothic fantasy, mystery, horror, and women’s fiction. I hope this review and analysis gives you some framework to read between the lines of this story. At its core, this is a book about love, being true to yourself, and breaking free from the constraints that keep you from true happiness. 

As a side note: I was listening to LABOUR (the cacophony) by Paris Paloma this week, and I think the version of Lucy Westenra in White’s retelling would really love that song. 

I’d love to hear from you over on my social media channels to discuss this book further. It is always appreciated if you share my reviews and newsletters with anyone you think might enjoy them. 

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