V.E. Schwab’s New Vampire Novel Explores Desire and Darkness Across Centuries

My fascination with vampires remains unwavering, though I have distinct tastes: I prefer vampires who are ancient, alluring, and distinctly otherworldly. Their immortality should carry an element of sorrow, a perpetual burden rather than a blessing. Living forever might sound enticing, but it often means enduring endless cycles of survival and the consequences of taking life to sustain oneself.

This is precisely why I found the vampires in V.E. Schwab’s latest novel, “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil,” so compelling. They embody a raw hunger and simmering rage that feels both timeless and deeply human.

The narrative traces three women across distinct eras. In 1530s Spain, María rebels against her family's oppressive control. Her fiery red hair refuses to be tamed by dye or dirt, symbolizing her fierce spirit. Rejecting the traditional path of marriage and motherhood, María cunningly arranges a marriage to a wealthy viscount, hoping it will grant her freedom. Instead, she becomes further confined by her husband’s authoritarian grip and is sent to her in-laws as little more than a vessel. Her sole refuge lies in clandestine visits to an enigmatic, ageless widow who operates an apothecary. It is here María voices her desperate desire: “I want to be free, by any means necessary,” a declaration that leads her into the dark embrace of vampirism.

Fast forward nearly three centuries to the English countryside, where Charlotte enjoys a tranquil life surrounded by nature, literature, and the affection of her childhood friend Jocelyn, with whom she shares a secret love. When her brother discovers their intimacy, he forces Charlotte to London to conform to societal expectations—corseted, confined to grand estates, and pressured to secure a suitable husband. Yet, amidst this repression, Charlotte finds liberation through a glamorous widow who seduces her and forever alters her existence.

In 2019, Alice chooses self-imposed exile, leaving her small Scottish hometown to attend Harvard. Overshadowed in childhood by her wilder sister Catty, Alice seeks to carve out her own identity. At a party, she encounters a captivating and otherworldly girl, leading to a fleeting but transformative night. Alice awakens changed in ways she neither expected nor consented to, grappling with an overwhelming hunger and confusion. Her search for answers draws her into a centuries-old conflict that transcends time.