Book review: The Radleys by Matt Haig

I wanted to share a few of the covers made for this novel. Leave a comment and let me know which one that ticks your box! I have to say that I don't think the "girl in a dress"-trend is suitable for every story...

The Radleys is trying to live life like a normal middle class family in a small English town. They have their problems just like any other normal family, but some problems are way out of normal.

Clara is on her way home from a party when she commits a cruel murder. Shortly after the murder an, until now, unknown uncle shows up at the Radleys to save the day. Helen and Peter, the parents, can no longer hide the dark family secret from their children....

My thoughts:

Among all the vampire novels out there I felt that The Radleys was a little treasure, it was different. This is a vampire story about being a family and accepting who and what you are. There is a bit of romance but the real thrill of the story is whether or not the family will go all dark side on us. Matt Haig's writing style was somehow very calming, making me relax and enjoying every second I was with the Radleys. All the characters are believable and you want to know what happens to them. My very favorite character was 'uncle Will', the dangerous guy with some serious issues.

The chapters in this book were fairly short, some of them no longer than tre-four pages. Each chapter starts with a quote from The Abstainers Handbook(second edition), the Radleys try their very best to be like everyone else(the humans).

The Radleys was a fun and entertaining read, it was a bit darker than some of the vampire stories we all have read in the past years but I feel that this was yet another thing that was very positive about this story. 

Some of you draw parallels to Twilight when reading my review but rest assured the only thing the vampires in the two stories have in common is their choice of lifestyle. I strongly believe that this book has a higher appeal to both genders than Stephenie Mayer's Twilight saga has.

I'm sure many of you instantly thought of Harper Lee's infamous novel To Kill A Mockingbird you noticed the title of this book. Let me tell you that there was no error in making that connection because Matt Haig said in an interview with Publishers Weekly that Boo Radley was his initial inspiration for writing this story:

Were you influenced by Boo Radley of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?
Yes, Boo, pale-faced, misunderstood suburban outsider, was definitely my inspiration, though I later discovered Radley means "of the red meadow," which can have vampire connotations.

The Radleys is kind of a crossover novel between YA and adult, I know some countries has published both a YA and adult edition of the book.

A book that is well worth a few hour of your time! Before you go I have to tell you that a movie adaptation is in the works and the producer is Alfonso Cuarón. Alfonso is known, among other things, for having directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Book trailer:

Cover:
My favorite one would be the German cover, the one with the tea cup. My least favorite is the girl in a dress cover.

My rating of this book:

- You should read it!

Want a second opinion?
Susan K.Mann 

The Book Smugglers

Want to know more?

Visit The Radleys homepage

Add The Radleys to your Goodreads wish list.

Visit Matt's homepage 

Follow Matt on Twitter 

Full disclosure: Review copy from the Norwegian publisher.

This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and on-line book stores such as Amazon or The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store does by the way have free shipping to about 100 countries.