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A review by mediaevalmuse
The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez
5.0
I first became aware of this book after several conversations with a friend/colleague, who is writing a dissertation chapter about The Gilda Stories. For whatever reason, I wasn’t aware that the book was about vampires - much less lesbian vampires. I just had a vague idea of speculative fiction floating in my mind, so when I actually realized what was going on, I was even more excited to read the book. If you’re a fan of lgbt+ literature, I’d highly recommend giving this book a try, even if you’re not a vampire novel enthusiast.
Things I Liked
1. Communities: My favorite thing about this book was the emphasis on connection, community, and family. Too often, we have the image of the lonesome vampire or even the outcast lgbt+ person trying to find their way. In some ways, vampirism was a tool for exploring lgbt+ identity by privileging the found or formed family over the organic one. Gilda has deep, meaningful connections with her fellow vampires, and they continually emphasize the need for community over bloodshed and destruction. It was a welcome change to overused tropes within the genre.
2. Time: Another way this novel defies vampire novel tropes is by taking the reader through time. Each chapter is set in a different time period, moving ahead a couple of decades at a time. Often, we see vampires who seem to be stuck in the past, but Gilda readily adapts to her setting. I also loved seeing how the search for connection manifested in eras with different social problems, especially ones that particularly affected the black community.
3. Speculative Chapters: When was the last time you read a vampire novel set in the future? This book took on a surprising twist when the last two chapters became speculative, turning the end of the novel into a supernatural-sci fi mashup that wasn’t corny.
4. Intersectionality: This book is populated with women - particularly lgbt+ women of color. It makes sense, given that our main character is a lesbian who is a former slave, but aside from her romantic partners, there’s still a lot of women who support each other and move through the world with some degree of confidence. There’s also a Lakota woman named Bird, who I loved seeing as a benevolent vampire who loved to travel and who had same-sex interracial relationships.
5. Connection to Humans: I loved that the vampires in this novel both saw themselves as separate from humanity, but intertwined with it. By virtue of being a vampire, they’re all separate. They’re released from mortality and have a perspective that humans will just never have. But also, the vampires talk of their blood-drinking as an exchange: when they take blood, they must leave something in return, most often in the form of pleasant emotions, strengthened resolve to do good, etc.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Repetition: The main drawback to this novel, in my opinion, was that some things got a little repetitive. Gilda’s connection to certain objects, for example, were reiterated every chapter as if for the first time, and some of the same longings were rearticulated over and over, such as Gilda’s longing for Bird. I get that the novel as a whole is a larger search for connection, but I don’t think drawing out the same problems over and over again is always the way to go.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in lgbt+ literature, intersectional identities, intersectional feminism, stories about family/community/connection, and
vampires.
Things I Liked
1. Communities: My favorite thing about this book was the emphasis on connection, community, and family. Too often, we have the image of the lonesome vampire or even the outcast lgbt+ person trying to find their way. In some ways, vampirism was a tool for exploring lgbt+ identity by privileging the found or formed family over the organic one. Gilda has deep, meaningful connections with her fellow vampires, and they continually emphasize the need for community over bloodshed and destruction. It was a welcome change to overused tropes within the genre.
2. Time: Another way this novel defies vampire novel tropes is by taking the reader through time. Each chapter is set in a different time period, moving ahead a couple of decades at a time. Often, we see vampires who seem to be stuck in the past, but Gilda readily adapts to her setting. I also loved seeing how the search for connection manifested in eras with different social problems, especially ones that particularly affected the black community.
3. Speculative Chapters: When was the last time you read a vampire novel set in the future? This book took on a surprising twist when the last two chapters became speculative, turning the end of the novel into a supernatural-sci fi mashup that wasn’t corny.
4. Intersectionality: This book is populated with women - particularly lgbt+ women of color. It makes sense, given that our main character is a lesbian who is a former slave, but aside from her romantic partners, there’s still a lot of women who support each other and move through the world with some degree of confidence. There’s also a Lakota woman named Bird, who I loved seeing as a benevolent vampire who loved to travel and who had same-sex interracial relationships.
5. Connection to Humans: I loved that the vampires in this novel both saw themselves as separate from humanity, but intertwined with it. By virtue of being a vampire, they’re all separate. They’re released from mortality and have a perspective that humans will just never have. But also, the vampires talk of their blood-drinking as an exchange: when they take blood, they must leave something in return, most often in the form of pleasant emotions, strengthened resolve to do good, etc.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Repetition: The main drawback to this novel, in my opinion, was that some things got a little repetitive. Gilda’s connection to certain objects, for example, were reiterated every chapter as if for the first time, and some of the same longings were rearticulated over and over, such as Gilda’s longing for Bird. I get that the novel as a whole is a larger search for connection, but I don’t think drawing out the same problems over and over again is always the way to go.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in lgbt+ literature, intersectional identities, intersectional feminism, stories about family/community/connection, and
vampires.