I have just finished reading Elizabeth Kostova’s masterfully written tale about Vlad the Impaler, whom legend says became Dracula. Titled The Historian, it is not only one of the best books I have had the pleasure of reading, but it is the book that Bram Stoker himself should have written over one hundred years ago.
The Historian opens as the narrator (who is never named in the 600+ pages of the book) begins to tell the events of her journey to save her father, only to end up coming face to face with Dracula. At the beginning of her story, she is a prepubescent girl just old enough to sense that toys and dolls have lost their interest; they’ve been replaced with books and friends and movies and shopping.
Her father, Paul, a diplomat, travels Europe frequently, meeting with ambassadors and heads of state. Her mother, Helen, died tragically long before she could even capture a memory of her--the sound of her voice calling her name, the scent of her hair as she pulled in close for a hug, or even a smile on her face. She remembered nothing and dared not ask her father about her, knowing that that topic left him discouraged for days.
One afternoon while her father is on a trip, she sneaks into his personal library and finds an old copy of Kama Sutra. Opening the book, she discovers a bundle of letters written on fragile, old paper. Curious, she unfolds one of the letters and reads a most disturbing letter. This discovery fails to rest easily on her so she enquires about the letter. Her father, realizing that he cannot keep his and their family’s secrets hidden forever, begins to reveal a story of ancient books, violent deaths of acquaintances and pets, how he met Helen (later to become his wife), travels to old ruined cities and monasteries across the Baltics, and run-ins with government spies, secret organizations, and vampires. We meet scholars, professors, and members of secret orders who wish to help Paul and Helen find and kill Dracula; and those who have been charged with the task of keeping his presence a secret.
Written in the style of Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, (even though Kostova began writing this book ten years ago), The Historian, indeed, is a fascinating tale.
Kostova’s prose is literary. It is erudite, utterly convincing in the manner it lays out the history of Vlad and his transformation into Dracula.
One of the most poignant moments in this book occurs when our young narrator has been reading the description of Vlad burning young boys and impaling his captors. She writes of this moment of realization in such an eloquent and wise manner: "For all his attention to my historical education, my father had neglected to tell me this: history's terrible moments were real. I understand now, decades later, that he could never have told me. Only history itself can convince you of such a truth."
Kostova drops many more gems such as this throughout her intricately layered story. Her attention to detail is impressive and paints such a vivid picture that she leaves no dead zones in your imagination--windows have their shadows, cobbled streets echo, the waves upon the sea react to the changing of time, and darkness is never a hollow void.
What Kostova accomplishes with this incredible novel is utterly astonishing in its breadth. Not only does she resurrect the legend of Dracula, but she retells it with such seeming historicity and conviction that it will stoke the fires of vampire lovers to last a millenia.
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Additional information on the author, book, and Sony’s upcoming film, visit The-historian.net
The Historian is published by Little, Brown and Company: First Edition, June 2005.
