Review: Thought-provoking
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 3, 2014
Told entirely from the point of view of seventeen year old Jed Franklin, the reader watches his emotional, psychological and physical deterioration following his dad's imprisonment as a pedophile.I found Sara Hantz's stream of consciousness writing style appropriate to Jed's thoughts, which are constantly changing and contradictory as he struggles to come to terms with his dad's horrendous crimes and the fact that his family unit has collapsed. I admit that on occasion I felt Jed's narrative was becoming repetitive, particularly with the 'is it in my genes?' thought process, but after all this is one of the central points Sara Hantz is trying to communicate.I found the author's portrait of Jed's father, Ben Franklin, chilling and merciless - perhaps a little too 'real'. The times which Jed is forced to meet him I wanted to skip for my own sanity, particularly after reading his admissions which made me feel physically ill, and although I understand Sara Hantz is proving the depth of his depravity and answering Jed's questions I wonder if this was a bit far.In The Blood successfully illustrates society's prejudices, not just towards the criminal but the family too. The reader watches as the finger is pointed at Jed twice for crimes he is innocent of, just because he is 'Ben's son'.There are flaws in this story, but looking past these In the Blood is a serious and heart-breaking observation of a young boy who is forced to re-examine his whole life and attitude.This was given to me as a review copy, but this has had no influence on my opinion.