The Vampire Gideon’s Suicide Hotline & Halfway House for Orphaned Girls by Andrew Katz isn’t your average vampire story, if you didn’t catch that from the title. In short, the Vampire Gideon runs a do-it-yourself suicide hotline, where he provides comfort and advice to those who need it most, and goes lengths to make sure that his callers form better lives for themselves. Over the hotline, he meets a teenage girl named Margie who lives in an abusive household, and takes her under his wing. 

Overall, I found this book to be intriguing, informative, and very real, despite its vampiriness. The Vampire Gideon touches on some dark topics (hence the title), while still keeping things light by intertwining comedic remarks. However, this book can be massively triggering, and it isn’t a book for everyone. 

What I love most about The Vampire Gideon is its uniqueness and variety of characters. I think that the idea of a vampire running a suicide hotline sounds absurd at first glance, which is the reason I picked it up. But, Katz executes the idea very well. I think that the characters are what carry the story along, over the plot. The characters are as odd as the book itself, and each character debunks stereotypes and misconceptions that are often made in the media about trauma and mental illness. 

What I disliked the most about The Vampire Gideon was how rushed the storyline was. In my opinion, the ending could have been drawn out longer. Also, a lot of plot points seemed to have been added purely for shock value, without any relation to the plot itself. All of that made the book seem like it was over in the blink of an eye. There was a capacity for great success with the premise being so clever, but The Vampire Gideon did not reach its full potential. But, despite the dampers of the plot, the novel as a whole is still a great read.