Moore, Christopher. You Suck: A Love Story. New York: William Morrow/ HarperCollins Publishing. 2007. ISBN-13: 978-7394-8632-0
Plot Summary:
This work is the sequel to Moore’s other book Bloodsucking Fiends and picks up right where the other work leaves off, in San Francisco. Tommy, a young man from Indiana, gets turned into a vampire by his girlfriend. Tommy had defeated his girlfriend, Jody, and her mentor, Elijah Ben Sapir. Tommy and the ‘Animals’ a group of his coworkers from a grocery store had the pair of vampires metal plated and had stolen Elijah’s art collection. Tommy brings the encased vampires back to his apartment and the Animals sell the art and head for Las Vegas. Tommy drills holes in the metal casing surrounding Jody so that he can talk to her, she escapes and bites him. Tommy’s life has changed when he became a vampire; he can no longer eat, has super strength, cannot tolerate light, and is restored without blemish to a state of perfection.
Jody and Tommy renew their relationship and have adventures trying to find blood without killing humans. They recruit a homeless man and his cat as living food sources. They also recruit a Goth teen named Abby Normal to be their minion. The ‘Animals’ return from Vegas, nearly broke, and in the company of a blue-skinned prostitute. They need money and find out that Tommy has now turned into a vampire and they decide to hunt the pair of vampires. Tommy and Jody are hunted by the ‘Animals’, by a pair of dirty cops, and by Elijah once he escapes from his metal casing. The plot leaves the pair in a series of near escapes and trying to maintain their relationship amidst pressure from all sides.
Critical Evaluation:
The writing style is fresh and keeps the reader interested throughout the book. The comedy in this work causes its appeal to go beyond the group who usually like vampire stories and would be enjoyed by anyone who likes comedy. In fact the comedy aspect of the work seems to carry the romance and action components, as without the aspect of humor the other elements would not actually be that good. The action in the story keeps the plot flowing along nicely and one does not have too much downtime in the plot. The relationships between vampires, between humans, and between the two groups, make for interesting reading. The characters are mostly from the older teen/early twenties category and both characters and story would be appealing to older teens. There are a number of challenging factors which may not make this book appropriate for teens younger than sixteen. Overall, the work is not your standard vampire love story which teens may be looking for, but some might just find it desirable because of that.
Reader’s Annotation:
Tommy and Jody have recently been turned into a vampire and they comically learn the ropes of their new afterlife while trying to cope with the threats of unlikely vampire hunters and an ancient vampire whom they had tricked.
Information about the author:
Christopher Moore was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1957. His father was a law enforcement officer and his mother worked at a department store. Moore was educated at the University of Ohio, and at Brooks Institute of Photography in California. Before becoming a writer, he worked a number of blue collar jobs. He has spent time living in Hawaii.
Moore’s books are all comedies and many of his more popular characters make appearances throughout the body of his work. Many of Moore’s titles have become best sellers and have found a wide audience. All of his books have been optioned to be made into films, but as of yet, none of them have been.
Genre:
Vampire/Love/Comedy
Curriculum Ties:
N/A
Booktalking Ideas:
1. Discuss the changes that a vampire undergoes once they are changed from humans.
2. Focus on the strange relationship that the young pair have with their minions, and the relationship they have with humans in general.
3. Center a discussion on the love story, in what ways it is traditional and in what ways it is unique.
Reading Level/Interest Age:
16+
Challenge Issues:
Sex/Drug and Alcohol Use/Language/Violence
Challenge Defense Ideas:
1. Read the book.
2. Be Familiar with the policy of the ALA and your institution.
3. Make a note of the contents of the work and how they fall in with the collection development policy of your institution and the standpoint of the ALA.
4. Gain an awareness of the awards, reviews, and criticisms of the work, as well as other works by the same writer.
5. Know the process for materials challenges at your library.
Why did you include this book? :
Vampire books are rather popular at present, most of these are serious and dramatic; I thought that the inclusion of something that was comedic would be attractive for older teens.
Author’s Website:
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