The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

I started reading The Historian at the end of June and finished it up late this evening.  When I began reading this book I had no idea it was about vampires.  If I had, I am not certain I would have cracked open this book.   However, once I got into the story written by Ms. Kostova I could not put this book down.  I really liked the tone and pace of her writing.  I also enjoyed the way that the author bounced about from the present, to the adventures of Professor Rossi and then to the latter journey of Paul and Elena.  The chapter lengths were also varied, which I liked, and they ranged from a few pages documenting long ago written post cards to pages upon pages that described their hunt for Vlad Tepes’ resting place.

One thing that bothered me was the lack of depth in some of the characters.  Turgut was interesting but almost seemed stereotyped from what a Turkish character should be.  Hugh James drifted into the book for only a few pages but his background and the role he played in the hunt for Dracula was not fully explained.  I also did not like Ms. Kostova’s decision not to reveal some of the characters first names (the narrator) or surnames (Paul for example.  As a result of this decision I felt like aspects of the main characters self remained hidden. 

Another criticism I have was the way in which Dracula was “killed”.  After 600 pages of intrigue he is confronted and defeated in a little over a page.  The description of the event lacked depth and in the next pages the narrator, her estranged mother, father and Barley are sitting in a hotel, drinking cocktails and quickly moving past the shock of overcoming the world’s most famous undead creature.  I know it is fiction, but it almost seemed like the author was tired of writing by this point and was looking for a way to tie things up. 

The above scene felt cheesy to me, but I would have been fine with book ending with that scene since it was the happily ever after approach.    Instead of leaving well enough alone, Ms. Kostova kept writing to set herself up for a sequel.  While on a trip after her parents have died (one naturally, one by a land mine), the unnamed narrator finds one of the special book and which implies that Dracula is still on the prowl.  

I was warned by my friend who read the book before me that I would not be happy with the end of the book and she was right as it did not sit well with me.  Despite its shortcomings The Historian was an enjoyable read but I am unsure I would be tempted to read the sequel (if in fact one is ever written).