“I have been trying to kill myself without actually dying.” – Roderick Anscombe, The Secret Life of Laszlo, Count Dracula

I first read The Secret Life of Laszlo, Count Dracula during my time at university. I was immediately drawn to its gorgeously gothic cover and had to add it to my Dracula collection. It’s said you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but in this case, I got lucky! This novel has always stayed in my thoughts, and I’ve even collected its various hardcovers.

The story revolves around Laszlo, a count, a doctor, and a remorseless killer of young women. The narrative is set in the 19th century and unfolds through the memoirs of Laszlo, who takes us through his journey from his medical school days in Paris. This diary format is a nod to Stoker’s novel, and it works well here. The story takes a dark turn when Laszlo becomes infatuated with a patient at the charity hospital where he works.

Then, one night, incensed by her sexual taunts and revelations, he kills her and, guided by a primal urge, drinks her blood. Before the body can be discovered, Laszlo’s uncle arrives with the news that his brother has been killed in battle, and Laszlo is now the new Count Dracula. He must return to Hungary and take over the family estates. Laszlo marries his brother’s widow, a virtuous woman, and manages to live a life of discipline and abstention from immorality for 20 years.

However, his dormant desires are reawakened when he meets a local girl. When a typhoid epidemic hits the village, he is torn between his passions and his sense of duty to his new role as a saviour. Laszlo finds himself drawn to the connection between sex and violence, and he becomes unable to resist the union of love and murder. He maintains his public image as a pious doctor and a trusted nationalistic agent during the day, while at night, he unleashes his inner beast with increasing savagery and cunning.

Despite his extreme behaviour, Laszlo remains grounded in reality, recognizing the familiar moral boundaries that govern human behaviour. However, his willingness to transgress these boundaries astonishes him.

Author Roderick Anscombe, a psychiatrist and specialist in the field of schizophrenia, was born in Manchester, England. He previously worked in the psychiatric department of a detention center where he had the unique opportunity to question around one hundred murderers, sometimes within 48 hours of their crime. Anscombe uses his background in psychiatry to his advantage here by humanizing vampires a step further than writers of vampire fiction like Anne Rice or Tanya Huff: he makes the Count Dracula of his debut novel a mortal man.

In this haunting novel, Anscombe introduces a thought-provoking idea that vampires are nothing but tormented human beings. Laszlo doesn’t benefit from supernatural blame; his choices and actions are his alone, and he cannot lament being influenced or governed by dark forces outside his own humanity. His form of vampirism is psychosis-driven, obsessive-compulsive, and perhaps even a physiological addiction (to blood).

Laszlo is a serial killer, not a supernatural predator. If you’re looking for Henry Fitzroy, Lestat or the more traditional Dracula, you won’t find them here. This human-based narrative element elevates and innovates this work; this is absolute transgressive fiction. 

In the novel, there are subtle allusions to Vlad Tepes, the Romanian ruler notorious for his cruel and ruthless tactics. These historical references add further complexity to the narrative and help steer the reader away from the expectations of supernatural components towards a broader exploration of the Gothic Genre—in the vein of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Anscombe’s writing style has a captivating rhythm that showcases his deep understanding of his characters. He skillfully displays their growth or progressive decline, rendering them either sympathetic or inexplicably monstrous. For some characters, like Laszlo, it’s often a combination of both. The movement of the story may come across as slow-paced at first, but this is very much in line with the methodology of Victorian Novels. The methodical yet directed pacing, indulgent descriptions, and cerebral character development make for a rich and immersive reading experience. However, readers must be prepared to appreciate it. 

The Secret Life of Laszlo, Count Dracula is a captivating period novel that delves into the intricate psychological aspects of a man’s descent into darkness and moral decay during the 19th century. Roderick Anscombe’s unique reinvention of the classic Dracula story perfectly blends traditional gothic literature and a comprehensive behavioural analysis of a man driven to madness over several decades. 

The Secret Life of Laszlo, Count Dracula is available for purchase at Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, and AbeBooks. Unfortunately, Roderick Anscombe has no Social Media presence.