The Gilda Stories

Gilda begins her tales as a nameless runaway slave in Louisiana during the 1850's. This, however, is only the precursor to Jewelle Gomez's fantastic collection of a refreshing take on the fabled vampire. The subject matter captivated me at first - a novel about a black lesbian vampire in the 1850's, but I found that first impressions can be deceiving and that The Gilda Stories was much more than a series of horror fiction. Jewelle Gomez sets up a much different hierarchy of the vampiric world - where vampires are humane noble creatures, who only kill in self-defense, only take the blood they need and always leave something in exchange. One will find that the true victims in The Gilda Stories are the vampires themselves, trying to co-exist peacefully with the world they inhabit.The character, Gilda is a wonderful heroine. Her stories are independent of each other, seperated by decades at a time, as she wanders across the United States in search of a sense of family, home and the love of her tutor, the Native American woman, Bird. One must realize that this story is not just a vampire's memoirs. Her stories deal with racism, class and the bridges in between. Gilda herself, is a minority amongst a minority - being one of the only black vampires in existence. The elements of sexuality deeply suggest Gilda's lesbianism, though the fine lines of sexuality blur amongst the vampire community. Much like in Anne Rice's interpretation, sexuality and romantic partnerships are conjoined by mental bonds and the ideals of companionship. Gilda's true inability is to love or make love to a mortal, but amongst the vampiric community, it seems that either gender is fair game. Each of Jewelle Gomez's stories seem independent of each other, despite Gilda's memories of past characters. While some of the stories are center around the dangers in the vampire community and can be quite action packed, other stories bare deep into Gilda's connection with others. Gilda's and Bird's relationship center on most of the sub-plot. Bird acted as mother, teacher and at times lover to Gilda, but abandons her early on. Gilda laments on Bird's disappearance for much of the book and Bird's name resurfaces amongst other members of the vampire aristocracy and even shows up to help Gilda kill a ruthless foe in the Boston chapter. Still, Gilda's history is more nomadic than anything and the reader will see sides of the world through both innocent and wise eyes. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of the vampire genre. I found The Gilda Stories to be a most enjoyable alternative to the mass endeavor that is Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. The Gilda Stories is well written, engaging and offers a lighter tones to a very dark world, but still installs plenty of mystery and suspense. This is a milestone for the feminist press, Firebrand Books, and is a must-read for the new young generations of readers and writers.

Jewelle Gomez departs from the usual vampire scenario, first because her vampire heroines are almost all female, and second because they are a truly diverse group. Instead of following the Euro-focused trend set by most vampire story authors (from Laurell Hamilton to Brian Lumley), Gomez crafts a believable multiracial and multicultural vampire tradition, embracing a gritty kind of realism and a compelling spiritual focus. The story begins like an historical novel, recreating the antebellum South, and moves through the present and into the far future, as befits a tale of immortals. One of the most interesting themes in the book is the gradual distancing of the immortal from strictly human concerns, and the necessity of maintaining one's connection with the emotions of hope, love, and compassion. This is an excellent read and highly recommended for those tired of vampire melodrama.

This book delves into the mysteries of life, including love, romance, loss of love, and death. It's a very compelling novel that looks into how women think and feel about others. I promise you won't be putting this one down easily!

Definitely kinder, gentler vampires than vampire fans may be used to, and that's a wonderful recommendation in itself. In addition, the politics of race, gender, class, and sexuality abound. Black women's communities, women and work, lesbianism and women's friendships, black activism, and vampire subculture-as-gay/lesbian subculture are all parts of the impressive multicultural politics of this book. It's a great read, as well. My only critique is of what I consider its ultimate political statement as the novel ends: "family is the most important thing" (over work, politics, etc.). Though the novel redefines family in progressive ways, the emphasis on family is still a tad too conservative for me. However, this may also be a reflection of my personal jewish (middle-class) feminist politics meeting a form of black feminist politics and colliding a bit based upon race and class difference. Buy this compelling and important book and read it, then judge for yourself.