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The noun 'Vampire' means, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, 'A preternatural being of a malignant nature (in the original and usual form of the belief, a reanimated corpse), supposed to seek nourishment, or do harm, by sucking the blood of sleeping persons; a man or woman abnormally endowed with similar habits'. The noun has been said to originate in the eighteenth century but became popularised by the nineteenth century through growing gothic literature, 'An Eastern European creature popularized in English by late 19c. gothic novels, however there are scattered English accounts of night-walking, blood-gorged, plague-spreading undead corpses from as far back as 1196. Figurative sense of "person who preys on others" is from 1741. Applied 1774 by French biologist Buffon to a species of South American blood-sucking bat'.

Background
The novel, The Radleys, was written by author and journalist Matt Haig. Published in 2010 by publishing company Canongate. The Radleys is a modern-day gothic vampire novel that follows the story of discovery and the everyday struggles the Radley family face and how they adapt within a new society and how this affects them as people and as a whole. 'For most readers and authors alike, the vampire is a dark and ominous creature of the woods of Hungary or Transylvania'. Haig explores into a different perspective of how we view vampires, rather the stereotypical versions we as readers imagine when reading and/or hearing the word 'vampire' as stated by Wilson. Haig almost rebrands the word vampire in this novel as it breaks all boundaries and presumptions most readers will have.

Plot Summary
The modern-day novel begins in the small English Yorkshire village of Bishopthorpe as the averagely dysfunctional Radley family begin to adapt to the country life after a drastic move from London city centre. Peter and Helen Radley are obviously trying to live a quiet and basic life with their two children, Rowan and Clara. Peter is GP at the towns doctors practice and Helen is an amateur artist. They’re both abstaining vampires that now live a simple life that affects them physically but is overall the best decision for their family but society as well. They have never told their secret to anyone including their children but when Clara accidentally murders a boy who tries to sexually assault her and finds her attack disturbingly satisfying, her parents are forced to tell Clara and Rowan the truth. The brutal murder and the taste of blood Clara experiences and gains power from after constantly feeling weak and helpless is from her natural vampire instincts growing after each drop she ingests, which she is about discover why. Following the murder her parents are forced to use their vampire abilities to hide Clara’s secret and protect not only Clara but themselves as well, as vampires are not public knowledge and could end in severe consequences. Not only this but the severity of Clara’s mistake impels Peter and Helen to ask the kids reckless uncle Will to come and help. Will is Peters brother who is a practising vampire so has stronger abilities than both Helen and peter combined as they choose not to live their primitive lifestyle and therefore suffer from this to a significant degree. After the eventful night for the Radley family, a police investigation is launched into the disappearance of the sexually aggressive boy that Clara murdered and her family covered by taking the boys mutilated body far away from the scene. However, this investigation uncovers the history of vampires that Uncle will takes care of by pushing the police into a different direction of Clara and disregarding any insights or theories that they may have. Although he is a vital part of helping Clara, he ultimately causes a lot of disruption and temptation to the newly discovering Radley children and unveils dark secrets by bringing them to light, that leaves his brothers and sister in laws marriage on ice that threatens their family dynamic.


 * Themes within The Radleys:


 * Gothic
 * Love
 * Family
 * Betrayal
 * Feminism
 * Social Class
 * Order and Disorder

Peter Radley
Peter Radley is husband to wife Helen, father to Rowan and Clara and brother to Will. Peter is a caring father and loving husband and is a very logical man that comes at a cost to his own values. He is shown to be a very conflicting character with how he views his life despite the family man traits he consistently shows. Peter reminisces on his earlier lifestyle when he was a practicing vampire after accepting and following their basic human life. He is a well-educated man, with his profession being a GP at the local doctor's practise. Following his own conflicts this causes Peter to have a wandering eye for his neighbour Lorna, which creates even more tensions in a manic household.

Helen Radley
Helen is wife to husband Peter and mother to son Rowan and daughter Clara. Helen’s character is very stern and protective despite her job as an amateur painter which is a very freeing and creative line of work. Helen is very aware of the family secret but is shown to be relentless in abstaining from her vampiric ways, made evident when she is forced to tell her children about their identities and the reason they struggle with things that are normal to anyone else, such as food and sunlight, rather than being her choice to inform them. Although her character has these beneficial qualities, she is shown contradict herself by having her own personal secrets that would ultimately have a significant effect on her family. When Peters brother Will comes to visit in times of needs, his and Helens scandalous history causes a stir within the household, resulting in the family being pushed to their limits even further.

Rowan Radley
Rowan is a mysterious and weird character that is the eldest sibling, between himself and Clara. Rowan has no friends and values his younger sister as his only one. Rowan struggles with himself on an everyday basis, from being very pale and having to put factor 50 sun cream on the daily to having sleeping struggles and needing more than the normal amount of medication to help him to have a normal sleeping pattern. Although his life becomes clear and all his problems are answered when he discovers his most best kept family secret and learns his true identity, only at this moment we see his character begin to develop into a much more self-caring confident person.

Clara Radley
Clara Radley is a fictional character and is the youngest member of the Radley family. She is described as having a ‘pale face’ and eyes that are ‘desperate’ and is portrayed as a weak, shy and modest person. Clara has very few friends but ultimately has the biggest growth of character throughout the novel. Clara sprints out of her shell rather than a gradual development when she unearths her true identity and accepts this new version of herself, becoming a strong independent female which is not evident at the beginning of the plot.

Will Radley
Will Radley is brother to Peter and uncle to Clara and Rowan. He is a practicing vampire and lives a reckless, hectic and unstable lifestyle. Will and Helen had a very intimate past that brings awkward tensions within the Radley household, after Will comes to help Helen and Peter cover for Clara. He is a master manipulator and uses his vampire instincts and qualities in every chance he can get. His character has a very love or hate relationship that remains constant throughout the novel. This goes in line Jacksons description of vampires by referring to them as 'mindless monsters'.

MattHaig.com
Haig created his own website, www.matthaig.com. www.matthaig.com allows users to explore each of his novels, search for any upcoming events or books, get in contact with the author and much more. This website not only promotes his works but also allows readers to connect with the author himself on a personal level ultimately creating a foundation for a growing fandom.