The Radleys themselves are instantly recognisable. Books always work best when they work on more than one level and this is successful not only as a tale of vampires but also as a study of suburban Britain – albeit one with its tongue stuck very firmly in its cheek. Suddenly their suburban anonymity is at risk and they have no choice but to call in Uncle Will – Peter's brother and all round bad boy vamp. Inevitably, there is an incident involving Clara and a sudden attack of OBT (Overwhelming Blood Thirst). Helen and Peter have, perhaps rather naively, decided to be abstainers, denying their base cravings for blood in order to live a perfectly ordered, perfectly dull, middle-class existence. This is, of course, because they are teenage vampires – they just don't know it yet. Rowan can't go out in the sun without wearing factor 60 sunblock and cannot sleep at night while Clara is struggling with her recent conversion to veganism – it just doesn't seem to agree with her and she can't understand why. And school is a bit choppier for them than for most. Peter is the local GP, Helen stays home, manages the house and paints watercolours while Clara and Rowan navigate the choppy waters of high school. We first find Peter, Helen, Clara and Rowan in typical English suburbia.
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