I was expecting a very different book when I picked this up. Maybe something with vampires. Instead it's sort of a coming of age story. It's written as if by a man just past middle age talking about one day of his youth.
There are three kids in this story: the main character, his best friend, and a tomboy. The three go everywhere and do everything together. One day they find an ad for a traveling vampire show that will be performing in a field of ill repute outside their small town. They sneak out there and hide on the roof of a snack vending building in the hopes of seeing the vampire. They get stuck up there by a mad dog. They manage to get away, but everything that happens for the rest of the day is tainted by the fear of the vampire.
The boys can't find their tomboy friend and are convinced that the vampire got her. Once she's found they discover her copy of "Dracula" was chewed up and left on her bed. The flowers that the boys spilled in her house while looking for her have gone missing. The sister-in-law who bought them tickets to the show goes missing. Our hero's dad is run off the road by a mad dog.
Under this main storyline is one about the budding romance between our hero and the tomboy.
Finally, late in the book they go to the traveling vampire show. They know the vampire chick is just an actress but the dangers involved in the show split the group. The show involves volunteers from the audience wrestling the vampire chick who is slowly losing her clothing. The show comes apart with the audience fleeing and the sister-in-law having to fight the vampire to free the best friend. There are arrows and spears and much of the crew ends up dead.
Five pages from the end a monster does finally appear. It's a legless creature who rides in a coffin in the back of a hearse. The contestants have all been chopped up and fed to the creature. Including the best friend.
It's well written and a good book if you're into coming of age novels. I was mostly happy that it was over and done with.
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