Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab: A Haunting Ode to Immortality, Hunger, and Queer Resilience

V.E. Schwab’s Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a genre defying triumph that intertwines centuries, continents, and the lives of three women bound by a shared hunger for freedom, and the vampiric curse that both empowers and entraps them. Blending historical fiction, gothic horror, and sapphic romance, Schwab crafts a narrative that is as intoxicating as it is unsettling.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab: A Haunting Ode to Immortality, Hunger, and Queer Resilience

The novel unfolds across three timelines:

1. 1532, Spain: María, a headstrong girl trapped in a suffocating marriage, seizes a chance for escape offered by a mysterious widow, setting her on a path of immortality and moral decay.
2. 1827, London: Charlotte, exiled from her family after a scandalous same-sex encounter, falls under the spell of the enigmatic Sabine (María’s centuries-old alter ego), only to discover the predatory cost of “freedom”.
3. 2019, Boston: Alice, a grief-stricken college student, unravels the threads connecting her to Sabine and Charlotte, confronting a legacy of rage and revenge that spans generations.

Schwab’s interwoven narratives are less about the linear progression of the narrative and more about thematic resonance. Which might sound counterproductive to a novel, but trust me, this approach is perfect for Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. Each timeline explores how societal constraints, patriarchy, homophobia, where familial expectations force women to make desperate bargains, only to find themselves ensnared in new forms of bondage. The vampirism here is both literal and metaphorical: a hunger for autonomy that devours the self even as it promises liberation.

The novel’s heart lies in its trio of protagonists, whose complexities defy easy categorization:

• María/Sabine: A paradoxical figure of defiance and decay. Her transformation from a spirited girl into a manipulative, centuries-old vampire mirrors the erosion of humanity beneath immortality. She is magnetic and monstrous, a predator shaped by the very systems she seeks to escape.

• Charlotte: The most tragic of the three, her longing for love and acceptance makes her vulnerable to Sabine’s allure. Schwab deftly portrays her evolution from wide-eyed innocence to hardened survivor, culminating in a gut-wrenching act of rebellion.

• Alice: A modern-day foil to Sabine’s ancient ruthlessness, Alice’s journey is marked by grief and queer self-discovery which grounds the story in raw emotional truth. Her rage feels visceral, a culmination of centuries of silenced voices.

Themes: Hunger as a Double-Edged Sword

At its core, Bury Our Bones is a meditation on hunger in all its forms, physical, emotional, and societal. This heady novel never once shies away from looking at some deep concepts. María’s craving for autonomy, Charlotte’s yearning for love, and Alice’s need for closure are rendered with aching specificity. To a critique of the systems that force marginalized individuals to “rot from within” to survive, whether through marital subjugation (María), forced heteronormativity (Charlotte), or gendered violence (Alice).

Schwab’s vampires are not sparkly romantics but decaying creatures, their immortality a slow erosion of soul. Sunlight induces migraines; grave dirt acts as poison; and eternal life becomes a prison of repetition and regret. This subversion of traditional lore, coupled with Schwab’s lush, lyrical prose, elevates the narrative beyond trope into something profoundly original.

Schwab’s writing is sumptuous and immersive, particularly in historical sections that transport readers to different eras and settings, rich with vivid descriptions and intricate details that breathe life into the past. However, her writing talent shines through on every single page of this compelling novel, where each word is chosen with precision, and emotions are portrayed with depth and authenticity.

The first act is a deliberate slow burn, skillfully crafted to engage the reader’s curiosity and investment in the characters’ journeys. As the narrative unfolds, Schwab masterfully allows the tension to escalate, weaving in layers of complexity that enrich the plot and deepen the character development. This careful buildup culminates in a breathless final third, where the stakes are raised dramatically and the culmination of events leaves readers on the edge of their seats, eagerly turning pages to discover what happens next.

Combining with her heartfelt and sympathetic voice with regards to the sapphic relationships with the novel, allow for a nuanced portrayal of queer desire.

Fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue will recognise Schwab’s fascination with immortality’s burdens, but Bury Our Bones is decidedly darker, trading Addie’s wistfulness for visceral rage. And of course, we can’t talk about sapphic vampires without mentioning comparisons to Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire in its exploration of moral ambiguity. Although it is Schwab’s focus on female and queer perspectives that makes this comparrisons just a fleeting one.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is not a comfortable read. It is a story of teeth and blood, of love that wounds, and freedom that corrupts. Yet within its darkness lies a defiant hope: the resilience of women who refuse to be buried, even as the world tries to shovel dirt over their dreams. For readers seeking a vampire tale that bites deep into the psyche, this is could be Schwab’s most daring work yet.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

From V. E. Schwab, the No. 1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: a new genre-defying, unforgettable novel to sink your teeth into . . .

This is a story about hunger.
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
A young girl grows up wild and wily―her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets.

This is a story about love.
1827. London.
A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow―but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.

This is a story about rage.
2019. Boston.
College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge.

This is a story about life―
how it ends, and how it starts.

Further Reading

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For those passionate about horror literature, checking out this section is a must!