Woman Novelist Blog - Blood Sports

There are a few things I found worked well in Eden Robinson's novel, "Blood Sports." She does a good job describing the lives of the different characters, especially those of Tom, Paulie and Mel. Tom and his girlfriend Paulie, both with a history of drugs and other sorts of crime, live in a messy apartment in a bad neighbourhood with their daughter Melody, or Mel. Tom's has a bad history with his cousin, Jeremy, who is a terrible influence on Tom's life. There is a lot of direct dialogue between the characters, which I found made it easier to follow what was happening and where everything is taking place. In particular, I especially liked when she wrote about Tom and Jeremy which was described in detail and easy to understand.

There were a few things, however, that I didn't like about the book. I would have preferred that the author include more about Tom's brother, Jeremy, at the beginning of the book. The majority of the opening pages of the book revolve primarily around Tom, Paulie and Mel, and there is no mention of Jeremy until well into the story. I would also liked to have learned more about Jeremy and Tom's relationships with their mother and father, although there are some points of the book that do discuss their past and what their parents are like. For example, Jeremy paying nearly $40,000 to put his mother into a rehabilitation clinic as a Christmas present.

"Tom checked the clock above the front doors. Two more hours until the morning shift showed. The security buzzer bleated as a young guy in a baseball cap walked in. Behind the man, Tom noticed the black van cruising into the empty parking lot. The distance from the shop blurred the Crime-Stoppers worthy details like the license plate, model, and make, but he was sure that it was the same van that had been through the lot twice before.
Tom ignored the urge to lock the front doors. There were lots of non-robbing reasons people would wait in a deserted parking lot with their van's headlights off and he engine running. Maybe this was a lost tourist who kept stopping to check his map. Maybe this was some horndog picking up women. Maybe this was just some dealer waiting for a drop. The van disappeared out of the lot and down the deserted street. Tom massaged his temples. Or maybe sleep deprivation was making him bug-eyed."

The reason I liked these particular two paragraphs is because they provide a good example of what this book is about. Tom is working late and sees a van which he believes is stalking him, which is something that he should be concerned with as his brother always seems to be watching him. The paragraph's also provide an example of how insecure Tom feels wherever he goes, which is something else he is forced to deal with throughout the story.