Till Death

A teenage vampire and a human high schooler grapple with homophobia in McDaniel’s visceral debut. Living with his grandmother after parental rejection, Howard Kuiper is an old soul who’s deeply connected with the residents of the Baltimore retirement home where he volunteers. When elderly James moves in, Howard assumes that his young visitor George is his grandson. Unbeknownst to Howard, however, George is a vampire who was turned shortly after his high school graduation 60 years before and James is his partner; the two reconnected after James’s wife died decades ago. At James’s urging—brought about by his rapid physical and cognitive decline—George starts dating Howard, who is supporting his transgender best friend Sue in his campaign for better protections for queer students. After the school board rejects Sue’s proposal, Howard’s grief brings him closer to George; in turn, George opens up about his vampirism and educates Howard about his unorthodox methods for personal liberation. Despite a somewhat jarring tone shift in the final act, McDaniel skillfully portrays queer loneliness and contemporary society’s capacity to stall social progress via aching prose and tender (mostly white) character interactions. Vampire aficionados and romantasy fans alike will swoon over this unusual depiction of the paranormal mythos. Ages 14–up. (Mar.)