Dead Collections

Sol is a vampire trans guy working (and secretly living) in a basement archive with a colleague who hates him. Sol’s vampirism is very much presented as a disability and how it hampers his life, his work and his transition permeates the story (the average life expectancy of a vampire here is 3 years). In particular the total lack of consideration or accommodation from his employer which puts his life in danger. Can he find any community or human connection to help?

Enter Elsie, the widow of a famed writer who is donating her dead wife’s records to the archive. They immediately strike up a bond (partly over internet fandoms & fanfic) and begin a romance that neither thought was possible as Elsie tries to help Sol survive as his work colleague tries to get him fired for strange things happening in the collection.

It’s a cosy romance despite some heavy topics around transphobia and ableism. My main note would be it felt like there could have been more going on. In particular, it didn’t feel truly concluded in the third act. Most areas could have done with more development and direction. Some threads didn’t seem to go somewhere satisfying. But as a short light romance around archives and fandoms, I think it does okay. 

DEAD COLLECTIONS is an exploration of memories and identity via a Jewish trans vampire living in his office as an archivist, falling in love with a widow who drops off a collection for the archive.

I love this book. The explorations of gender and identity follow a general template that feels meant to open the door for the reader to ask themselves questions, while also being deeply specific to the characters (a trans man who’s also Jewish and a vampire, a person who begins the story identifying as a bisexual woman) and the setting (USA, circa 2018). The romance is intimate and erotic, with an intensity which comes from two people exploring themselves as much as they're getting closer to each other. 

This feels so wonderfully believable and specific in every little detail, from the attempt at safety which led to Sol living at work, to the messiness of Elsie exploring new love as she deals with the stuff left behind after her wife’s passing. Sol and Else talking, laughing, and fucking, with the background issue of Sol dealing with things at work. 

The worldbuilding is subtle and minimalistic, basically modern times but where vampires exist and are known to medical science. It grounds itself in a time and a place (but with vampires) and then doesn't try to explain what the place means, but lets itself just exist.

The audiobook narrator is great. There’s a bit a little past halfway through involving several people’s emails back and forth, and it’s a pretty serious moment, but there’s a memetic quality to the way the narrator reads it. If you like audiobooks then definitely give this one a shot, as their performance works so well with the story and the characters.

I love this so much, it's a fantastic premise, well executed, and the whole thing is just so perfect.