Blood (novel)
Blood is a youth novel by the Australian writer Tony Birch, published in 2011 by the University of Queensland Press.
Blood tells the story of two siblings, Jesse and Rachel, who struggle with some difficulties on their journey through Australia. The first-person narrator of the novel is thirteen-year-old Jesse, who grows up with his eight-year-old sister Rachel and mother Gwen.
The family does not have a permanent residence, so Jesse and Rachel don't go to school regularly. Gwen has a difficult relationship with her children, she is unwilling to take on responsibility, tries to keep the family afloat with odd jobs, consumes too much alcohol and marijuana and is not infrequently loveless in dealing with Jesse and Rachel. Furthermore, she leads fast-paced love relationships with violent and complicated men.
content
prolog
Jesse is in a police station. He is confronted by police officers with a gun they found in his backpack and asked to tell them what happened.
Chapter 1
Gwen begins a relationship with Jon Dempsey, a former prison inmate. Although he makes a dangerous impression on Jesse and Rachel at first, a good relationship develops between them within a short time.
After Gwen leaves Jon, an argument breaks out between her and the children. Gwen tells Rachel that Jesse is only her half-brother. In order to take some of Rachel's desperation, Jesse concludes a blood brotherhood pact with her and promises her that they will never be separated.
Chapter 2
After Gwen gets into trouble again, the family leaves their current residence. Gwen delivers Jesse and Rachel to their grandfather. Jesse learns that Gwen's childhood was not an easy one. After her mother died, the grandfather didn't take care of Gwen and instead picked up the bottle. He is now with Alcoholics Anonymous and has his life under control again.
The three of them spend a few weeks together, during which grandfather Jesse and Rachel have a regular everyday life for the first time. Jesse and Rachel get to know the neighbor boys Donny and Kade, who also come from poor backgrounds. They are having a Merry Christmas with their grandfather and making plans for Jesse and Rachel to get their own rooms and go to school. But Gwen shows up and takes the children back against their will.
Chapter 3
Gwen and the children are in Adelaide , a town in South Australia . Gwen's new friend Ray Crow rents two rooms in a motel for the family. Jesse doesn't trust Ray and asks Rachel to stay away from him as much as possible. Gwen and Ray decide to get married. On an outing, the family meets Limbo, a friend of Ray. Jesse tells them about his grandfather in Melbourne . Ray and Limbo have to get on a drug deal and leave. Gwen is angry about it and goes to the motel bar alone.
In the middle of the night, Ray and Limbo stand by Jesse's bed and ask where Gwen is. An argument breaks out between Ray and Gwen and he abuses them badly. The next morning, Jesse finds Gwen in her room and they pack up their things to leave. Jesse is a sports bag by Ray, in the 50,000 to Australian dollars and a gun are. He takes her. Gwen, Jesse, and Rachel drive to Melbourne.
Chapter 4
The car breaks down as it was tampered with by Ray and Limbo. You spend the night in the car on the side of the road. The next day Gwen decides to walk to the next town. Jesse and Rachel stay with the car. Jesse suspects that Ray and Limbo are looking for them and hides the bag with the money and the gun in a granary.
Fearing that Ray and Limbo might find them soon and that Gwen won't come back, Jesse and Rachel set out on their own. Rachel asks Jesse to climb the granary one last time to look for Gwen. While they are on the granary, Ray and Limbo arrive. They search the car and the surrounding area for the money, but do not find it. They're holding Gwen in the trunk. After driving on, Jesse and Rachel take the money and the gun back.
Chapter 5
Ray and Limbo are still on their trail. When they find her, Jesse and Rachel run away from them. Limbo is run over by a truck. Jesse and Rachel hide over night and hitchhike with a friendly couple towards Melbourne the next day. Jesse and Rachel walk the last part of the route. When they reach her grandfather's house, Jesse tells Rachel to take care of the backpack and wait outside.
He enters the house where Ray, Gwen and his grandfather are waiting for him. Ray wants his money back. Jesse claims she doesn't have the money. An argument then breaks out. When Ray threatens Grandfather with a knife, Rachel enters the room with the gun. In the heat of the moment, she shoots Ray. The police arrive and find the backpack with the money. As the policeman counts the money, Jesse notices that AU $ 8,000 is missing. He notices Donny at the garden fence, who is wearing his jacket and smiling, giving him a sign that he has the missing money with him. Gwen, Jesse, and Rachel are taken to the station.
Reviews
“Drawing on cinematic influences from the 1955 film 'The Night of the Hunter' and his fascination for those on the margins of society, Blood is a compelling, gothic odyssey that explores landscape, place and the ties that bind . With understated prose, Birch captures tenderness in a world without sanctuary and exposes the strength of innocence amidst violence and genuine evil. "
“Drawing on cinematic influences from the 1955 film The Night of the Hunter and its fascination with people on the fringes of society, Blood is a compelling, Gothic odyssey that explores the landscape, the location and the bonds that unite. With toned-down prose, Birch captures tenderness in a world without protection and reveals the strength of innocence in the midst of violence and real evil. "
"This is a fractured fairytale, a dark Australian road story, but also an affecting tale about the bond between a brother and sister, and how the most unexpected people can transform lives. Birch delivers edge-of-your-seat suspense and engrossing characterization in equal measures. "
“This is a broken fairy tale, a dark Australian road story, but also a touching story about the bond between brother and sister and how the least expected people change their lives. Birch delivers an exciting as well as captivating presentation. "
Awards
- 2012: Shortlist for the Miles Franklin Award
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tony Birch. Blood. Biography and summary. ( Memento of the original from July 15, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. milesfranklin.com . Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ↑ Blood by Tony Birch. Reviewed by Jo Case. readings.com.au . Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ↑ The 2012 Shortlist ( Memento of the original from June 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . milesfranklin.com . Retrieved June 18, 2015.
