Forever 51 by Pamela Skjolsvik takes you on a twisty, humorous journey of redemption for a permanently-menopausal vampire.
A friend, who knew of my upcoming novel Pause about “killer hot flashes” among other seriocomic adventures of female midlife, recommended Forever 51 to me. The opening episode in the “unlife” of a forever-51-year-old forever-menopausal vampire had me laughing out loud. Veronica, who was unwillingly turned into a bloodsucker over a hundred years earlier, visits a spray-tanning salon to brighten her deathly pale skin, and absurdity and mayhem ensue.
Veronica becomes a surprisingly amiable guide through life and death struggles, ponderings of the meaning of existence, and increasingly dangerous flight from the consequences of occasionally slipping from her 12-step program. In her case, the drinking she mostly controls is that which drains the life blood from a victim. She usually survives by taking judicious sips from patients in the hospice where she works, or by fulfilling a request to be granted a quick, painless death via vampire blood-draw. Veronica has her own ethical rules, which become a bit frayed as the dangers mount around her, but in her own bumbling way she holds to good intentions.
Veronica’s sardonic humor keeps it light as she tracks down former victims to attempt amends. Along the way, she deals with her forever-16 daughter, various friendly or hostile former victims, a creepy government agent, and a teenage meth addict with an edgy sense of humor who decides to tag along with Veronica. The plot twists kept surprising me into laughter or grimace, but even the occasional blood and gore managed to be… er, palatable. Give it a whirl!
I wholeheartedly agree! This is a wonderful escape!
Glad you enjoyed it, too!