This is the one moment that really caught me off guard. I mean, I read the book. I knew what to expect (at least in its tone). But. But. I didn’t expect the absolute crushing moment of his stutter returning after his mother walks in the room. Imagine being this old with all the power and all this worldly knowledge and your mother can still fuck you up. Yes, he loves her but that love hasn’t matured. He’s still that little boy in France that was beaten down by everyone in his family and latched onto his mum because she was the least cruel. She was still cruel. Don’t get that wrong. I always interpreted her as this woman who was so tired of her husband and his leeching off of her and her sons that were becoming more like their father (and tired of the dresses!) she just shut down. But in shutting down, she tossed Lestat aside. And he would have given her the world to get just a bit of attention from her. And he did that later on. But she wanted more. He wanted her forever. Just her and him. And now that she was free from her terrible life, she wanted to run and explore. So she did. She literally just ditches him suddenly at the end of a chapter and travels to like the jungle and Egypt to explore. And Lestat is alone in a cruel world but he doesn’t have a mum to run to. So he latches on to people/vampires. He begs for love. He wants to give them the world in hopes they stay with him forever. Same cycle over and over.
Anyways! She comes back and he’s launched right back into his childhood. I’d say he needs therapy but I don’t even think a therapist could help him. There’s so much baggage. Sorry for the essay. Expect many more. I have thoughts.
