Never say never when it comes to books or reading. Just be open with the unexpected.
At least, that’s what I learned when I told myself years ago that I will never read the classics, specifically Dracula. But after reading a retelling of it written by Karen Essex entitled Dracula in Love, I find myself being drawn to the Dracula books as if the character himself is hypnotizing me.
I’ve read bad reviews for Dracula in Love because of it’s feminist touch and that it had a misleading title. But for me, I enjoyed reading the retelling because I don’t know the original version. Simply put, I only know that Dracula is a vampire and Mina was among his victims or target. I think the magic of retelling (if you only knew about the source after reading the retold version) is that it leads you back to the first book where it was inspired from. And for me, it’s like a discovery. I’m up for it even though like I’ve stated earlier I am not a fan of classic books.
There is always something intimidating about the classic books. But another effect I had last year, after reading Dracula in Love, is that I bought the classic edition copy of Dracula and the novel that was written based on the film. I thought I just hoarded those books. But surprisingly, I did not unhaul them.
Dracula is indeed a classic story. It’s about five men who were brave enough to know the truth about this being who causes death by sucking human blood. It’s inevitable now to read Dracula with less fright. Since people are already familiar with the creatures called vampires due to its appearance in so many movies, series, anime, comics, or even through merchandise, it is no longer scary or odd for us to read about their abilities. But try to imagine what it was like for the readers of Dracula during the time it was published in the year 1897. Their first time experience is probably traumatic for them.
Instead of simply thinking that it was a kind of novel written in multiple point of views. It would make you experience reading a peculiar story that takes shape based on the gathered entries from journals, diaries, some newspaper clips, interviews and memorandums. I think Dracula became known because the horror it offers lies in that curiosity of the mind that would start questioning if the book is merely a work of fiction. With the given format, it gives that vibe that something extraordinary was indeed recorded. And that even if there was no physical proof offered to the public, the way it was written appeared to be legit.
While reading Dracula, I would admit that it was not a fun read for me. It’s like reading a long newspaper article or someone else’s letter or journal. Sometimes information were limited, other times it felt just right. I mean, it is expected when reading a journal entry. But the exchange of dialogues sometimes is (maybe) too European for me. I mean, there’s something sexy in not telling things directly and there’s humor in mixing sarcasm with politeness. But too much of it is like disliking sweets after eating too much sugar within a day. It also drags the story. But again, the timeline should be considered here. Perhaps, that’s how they naturally spoke during that era. It is in the first person point of view and the character is like telling you the story by himself or herself. I appreciate though that the entries of all the characters blends well with the others. But it is boring in a way if you, as a reader, expects Dracula to be a Fantasy and Adventure book. It aims to be realistic and classic.
There are also some issues I encountered that made this book seemed scripted. There are some scenes that would make Van Helsing seemed like a fool. Not that I’m expecting him to be a genius. But for those who only knew the character as a strong vampire hunter, be prepared to see the original version which is an old doctor or professor who often appears confident, then, he would later give you an impression that he is probably crazy.
It is, however, natural for people to think of those who shared their encountered with a vampire as mad men or women. So, given the settings, timeline and mindset of the people in their time, it is understandable to be horrified to know about the undead. But again, for us who are used to the details through fiction it is not that surprising to read that Dracula could change into a bat then change into its humanish form to suck blood through someone’s neck. Of course, if this will happen in real life we will still be dumbfounded. And we’ll probably just disregard it as our crazy imagination to avoid being labeled as a crazy person.
So, is Dracula worth reading? For me, yes. Even if it felt like I am just reading the book in order to write a book report (that same feeling when we are required by our teacher to read a book), I learned a lot from this reading experience.
One, it is now understandable why Dracula became a memorable character despite just being seen as a monster or evil creature that should be defeated. This book may have labeled him that way but he is also presented as a cunning villain based on his past. At the Foreword of my copy, Dracula was being compared to other known books like Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And it was somehow asked what made Dracula stand out? A question I would also like to be answered. And the replied I get was: “He’s much too busy converting the world to vampirism!” Which gives me the impression that Dracula then is just a vampire trying to ruin our world. But after reading the book, there’s so much more that can be explored or was left unanswered.
Two, Dracula is not the kind of horror book that will give you sleepless nights but it will make you think hard about the characters, the origins of the vampires and even the possibilities of having this myth exist in real life. At first, I was afraid to read Dracula not just because it’s classified as a horror book. While reading this book I realized I am no longer just reading for entertainment. A part of me is trying to learn more about the theme of the story, the year it was published and what made it a good content that it lasted for decades. Reading was supposed to be just a hobby. A personal thing that I’d like to keep on doing. But change has come and I don’t think my way of reading will stop evolving.
Lastly, Dracula triggers a lot of people’s imagination that they couldn’t help but create their own version or retelling. It only goes to show how influential this book written by Bram Stoker had become that it was well known up until now. If you plan to read this book I suggest to read it with an open mind, no expectations and just read it for the sake of studying the classics because that’s how it works for me.
I am rating this book 3.5 stars.
Quoted from the Book:
“As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean.”
“We thought her dying whilst she slept, And sleeping when she died.”
The Thought Balloons 
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