I think this was my 2-3 re-read of this novel. I first read it in middle school and again in high school, and now again as an adult.

IWTV is not perfect. It sometimes drags, mostly because Louis will just ramble forever. Some of the language used isn't clear about its intent, which I believe is why a lot of modern readers DNF saying that the text smacks of child sexualization. But I think those reader's are missing this HUGE piece of context for the book. Anne Rice lost her six year old daughter to leukemia and then wrote the first draft of Interview with the Vampire in 5 weeks of blind grief. This is what the book is actually about.

Every page drips with a mourning for lost life. The themes of lose childhood and innocence are everywhere. Rice writes about a life unable to be cherished and yet life that is desperately yearned for. There are even themes of resentment for God for enabling life and death. This book is the damn handbook on the gothic outlook on life. But this book isn't just for angsty teenagers. It conveys emotions of lose every human being has ever felt. That is why even though IWTV is almost 50 years old, its aged amazingly well. There are also LGBT themes in the novel but its so minor it could easily be missed. Well maybe not: "I begged Lestat to let me stay in the closet, but he laughed, astonished. 'Don't you know what you are?' he asked."

This was a re-read for me and I still cried. For me, Interview with the Vampire is a timeless classic that can be enjoyed by anyone who has known lose in their life.