I really liked this book, I think it was my favorite one of the semester. I think its appropriate that it was the last book of the semester because it seems like the most contemporary, and therefore I felt like I could relate to it more (not necessarily in the events that they go through), in the way that the things Tom and Mike liked to do or their high school experience is recognizable as similar to current day high school. It definitely changed my opinion of First Nation writers because, unlike the other authors we've read this year, Eden doesn't even really mention overtly that the characters are First Nation Canadian. Although I really did like the majority of the other books we read, they tended to unncessarily throw in the readers faces, the fact that the characters are First Nation. I understand when the author does it to prove a point or because it is relevant to a theme the book, but it seemed like sometimes the author would overemphasize it. Eden implies that they are not white Canadians, but the fact that they are First Nation characters doesnt isnt really necesary to bring up in most situations in ths book and its nice that she doesnt feel the need to stress this aspect unnecessarily.

Probably the biggest reason I liked Blood Sports was the way that the events of the plot were revealed. The novel is mostly big holes, but we get little references around the edges of things. Sort of like the scene she describes in reverse, the novel sort of goes back and fills in little things here and there. Since it starts with the letter, which is sent after the events of the novel, the events are all memories. Just as you don't recall the memories of your own life in chronological order, the events of the novel are all mixed up, things popping up here and there.

Ah, I also liked how the "races" of the characters were not mentioned- the idea plays no role in the events of the novel. It was a fitting end to the course I think because, unlike the other novels we've read, it wasn't an intentional and self-aware expression of First Nations culture, it was just a novel that happened to be written by a Haisla woman. That sort of novel I think is the most important type to read.

Peace out.

I was definitely prepared for "Blood Sports" to be very confusing. I knew that Eden Robinson would play with time and style all throughout the book. "Blood Sports" was extremely gripping it was difficult to put down. The twists and turns of the novel with Tom and Jeremy and then the tying in of Paulina is really fantastic. Parts of the book that were difficult were the video tape part and the letters. Robinson did not make it easy for the reader to keep track of her characters, which made it impossible to lightly read this book. The violence as we have talked about a lot was my favorite part of the book. Robinson's descriptions are fantastic and truly grotesque. Tom was my favorite character of the book obviously. The twists and turns of his life are so hard to read and you know that he is never going to get himself out of Jeremy's debt. Or at least it will be a hard road to come back on.

What this novel tells us about First Nations writers is that not all their books have to have native undertones. In "Blood Sports" there are all caucasian characters are there is no influx of native heritage at all. This just shows that First Nations writers like Eden Robinson are not just writing to express their native heritage but also just as a form of expression that does not involve anything native at all.

To correct Maddie's impression above, Eden does identify her characters as caucasian and not Native people. I think that is one thing that sets this book apart from the other works we read this semester.
I do not enjoy reading about the kind of hopelessness and violence that were the themes of "Blood Sports" but I was impressed with the style of writing and the class discussion really helped me to appreciate all the different ways that Eden Robinson puts her thoughts on paper. She is a remarkable writer. The book was somewhat confusing with the time changes and style changes but it truly does become clearer with a second look. Had I not read "Monkey Beach", I may have given up on understanding the disconnected style and/or tolerating the violence, but previous experience with the author gave me a strong desire to see what she comes up with next. This book did not change my impression of First Nation writers, but the course did. I have a new understanding of First Nations people and the variety of writers contributed a great deal to that understanding.

To correct Maddie's impression above, Eden does identify her characters as caucasian and not Native people. I think that is one thing that sets this book apart from the other works we read this semester.
I do not enjoy reading about the kind of hopelessness and violence that were the themes of "Blood Sports" but I was impressed with the style of writing and the class discussion really helped me to appreciate all the different ways that Eden Robinson puts her thoughts on paper. She is a remarkable writer. The book was somewhat confusing with the time changes and style changes but it truly does become clearer with a second look. Had I not read "Monkey Beach", I may have given up on understanding the disconnected style and/or tolerating the violence, but previous experience with the author gave me a strong desire to see what she comes up with next. This book did not change my impression of First Nation writers, but the course did. I have a new understanding of First Nations people and the variety of writers contributed a great deal to that understanding.

Although this novel was disturbing at times, it was enjoyable to read and hard to put down. As some other people mentioned it was interesting that Eden Robinson didn't directly mention how these characters were first nation Canadians. It was a good last read for the class and refreshing to read something so different from the rest (apart from Contact Sports of course).

I read this book over the course of a few days and, during those days, I found myself pretty fucked up over it.

I also found myself either relating to, worrying about, or hating the characters. They were portrayed in such a realistic way, as no character fit into a contrived "role." Everyone was constantly reacting and evolving. Also, her depiction of Tom's epilepsy was really dead-on. A close family member of mine has epilepsy and the way she depicts episodes as well as his reaction to/perspective on them is very accurate, especially with the auras and the feeling that he'd rather have a seizure than an aura because of the harshness of the paranoia and terror.

Relative to other books we read this semester, Blood Sports was by far the most innovative and thought provoking. Looking deeper into the plot, as we talked about in class, reveals an interesting paralell to native life... as in the control game Jeremy uses on Tom, the effects of alcohol/drugs and poverty, bribing and violence, etc.

I also found it interesting that a critic compared Eden Robinson to Chuck Palahniuk, that "Blood Sports is the novel that Chuck Palahniuk would write if his talents were in any way commensurate with his hype." She definitely did remind me of Palahniuk, with the strangeness and vividness of the violence, but that violence really is the most important aspect of many of his novels, and his characters don't make sense a lot of the time. Eden was able to present a fucked up story but also give it depth.

Also,
"Paulie had played the radio one day around bedtime and discovered that Mel relaxed best to The Tragically Hip, Radiohead, and R.E.M." (37)
Bad ass.

Like the others who have posted I really liked Blood Sports too. It gave us a nice break from the rest the novels we have read throughout the semester, and introduced a Native writing style that was very different. I thought that the story was confusing at times, and HATED how it ended, but I still couldn't put it down. It definately changed my view of Native writers because for the first time, she didn't feel it was necessary to write a story purely about Native life. However, she still dealt with issues such as poverty and alcoholism that are present in many of the other novels that we have read. I felt that this book was a refreshing break from that, and I hope she writes a sequal!

while I think there are much more disturbing and controversial books out there (American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk), and obviously that's not a measure of a book's quality, I loved Blood Sports. Definitely a page-turner to say the least, and I couldn't wait to read it after finishing Contact Sports. The crazy violence, drugs, sex, violence, drugs and violence do their task in keeping the reader entertained.. as sick as that is.. it's more engrossing than reading about spirits and coyotes--not to take anything away from spirits or coyotes, respectively.

I enjoyed the scattered, non-chronological order of the text, as well as the random video descriptions. Books that are unique in that sense are usually fun to read and this one most-certainly was.

it was definitely much different than the other First Nations' writers we've read, to the point where had it not been assigned this particular class, I probably would have falsely assumed the author was white.

I thought that much like Green Grass, Running Water , that Blood Sports was an engaging change of pace read. I liked not only the different subject matter, but also the creative style it was written in, using multiple narrative means. I will admit however, that at times it became confusing as to how exactly the order of events were occurring in. Like the other books we’ve read, the theme of oppression was evident in the relationship between Tom and Jeremy. Also, family is seen as paramount as Tom puts Paulie and the baby before his own life. As for Eden Robinson’s choice of subject matter I enjoy how it is different and daring then the other First Nation writers of the day. Although her story may have nothing to do with First Nation’s peoples by simply writing it she is giving them a voice.

I thought that Blood Sports is disturbing at the same time that it’s a fantastically well written novel. I’m really glad that we read Contact Sports before Blood Sports; we can see the evolutionary process of her characters as well as how they’ve changed. Tom is much more developed as a character and in my opinion far easier to champion. Paulie is not only a main character now, but very likeable and inspiring for how she was turning her life around. And Jeremy...well, I can only say that he became so much more calculating and creepy. He was no longer that somewhat quirky and pathetic drug dealer, but a maniac. Despite the fact the Jeremy creeped me out, it was necessary for Eden to move his character in that direction; it helps us connect with Tom and understand the control Jeremy has over his cousin.
As for how it fits in with the rest of the books this semester, and I feel like I say this in every one of my posts, but it’s about identity. How can Tom and Paulie accept the actions of their past and move into the future? What does it mean for them to suddenly have Jeremy back in their lives? The novel also doesn’t change the way I see a First Nations writer; their stories don’t have to focus on native heritage just because they have one. If the book is well written and encourages discussion, that’s what really matters.

First off, i really liked Monkey Beach and was excited to read Robinson's new book. I was pretty satisfied but was dismayed, like with Monkey Beach, with the lack of any real kind of cohesive theme or cap to the end the book. I mean i guess it could be Tom's desire to have some kind of "normal" family and the lengths to which he'd go to attain that but this wasn't really developed as much as i felt it could be. I did enjoy the novel though and felt it was well written even if sometimes complicated. I really liked all of the pop culture references. It made me think of a Tarantino movie and of the 80's flick Repo Man. It really added depth to many of the scenes. Also, the character of Jeremy was extremely complicated which in turn made him very engrossing. I also liked, as Tom said in the blog, how race is not an issue in this book and in fact is not often alluded to in the text. I think this is one big way that this book fits into the rest of the course. It is a First nations writer but none of the characters or subject matter has to do with that topic. Like Chris said in the last blog, "it may have nothing to do with First Nation's people but by simply writing it, she is giving them a voice." I think he is absolutely right because Eden's success will spurn others perhaps to reach their own potential as writers. Also, it shows how one doesn't have to live inside the box that society made for them and can instead break out and do what they want. A fine book.

I think because this book didnt deal directly with a native community and everything that goes along with their culture it was much easier for me to follow and to relate to. Just getting a break from dealing with Native Canadian characters and stories was a good change of pace and i enjoyed it even though i wasnt able to be in class when we discussed it that much. But i think that was ok with this book because i followed it a lot more thant the other books we have read this semester.

I was quite ambivilant about the novel. I enjoyed aspects of Contact Sports - the strange relationship of Tom, the mother and Jeremy, as well as the way certain elements of the story were put together. The unresolved ending had me itching for more, so I was eager to take up Blood Sports.
At first, I really got into the novel. The letter at the beginning to Mel was a great tactic to set up the rest of the story. It really painted a picture of what kind of parents and people Tom and Paulie were. I also really enjoyed the flashbacks, or the transcrpits of videos that they took. I had never really seen a writer work with this tactic before, so it was intriguing and refreshing to see in the course of the novel. My gripes with Blood Sports surrounded the unresolved ending, which I should have expected after Contact Sports, and did to some degree.
I agree with Bryan that the book didn't really deal with issues in the native community, but I think this worked to the book's advantage, as far as our class is concerned. All semester we have been working with texts which exclusively discuss issues in the native community, especially the really depressing moments in Native history. I enjoyed reading something that wasn't directly addressing native issues. It added to the repetoire of the class reading - I honestly would have been disappointed had we stuck to books which only discussed issues that were prevelant in native history. Overall, I think Blood Sports scores in the B or B- range. Nevertheless, I'm glad I read it.

I thought I would not like it because of my first impression of "Contact Sports" but within the context of later reading "Blood Sports" I liked it a lot more. I enjoyed the style of writing that allowed the reader to puzzle the story together.
It was a good novel to end with to compare different topics and different approaches of Native Canadian writers.
I felt I could feel for Paulie, Tom and Mel in "Blood Sports" especially because the reader could see the importance held by Paulie and Tom for their daughter. When Tom had been kidnapped by Firebug and crew, despite the chaos, Tom still could only think of his daughter, which was displayed by how he related his concept of time to what he would be doing with Mel. "Bedtime for Mel: bath, brush teeth, change into a nightshirt, change into fresh diaper, read two books, and kiss good night" (Blood Sports, 114). It conveys the concept of routines that we live our own lives by and the reader can relate to the character.

As discussed in class, I thought that the book's parallels to the native/white cycle of abuse, neglect, addiction, and power were interesting and noteworthy. Apart from that, I was happy to read a book that wasn't specifically about native characters, even though I loved most of the other books that we read. As everyone else has said, Robinson doesn't need to rely on social strife to give her book power. She is a powerful writer, and that's where her story's strength comes from. The style was a little nutty, but that was all cool in the end. If you pay enough attention to detail and go back and re-read things, it comes together.

I liked the book. It was an interesting change of pace novel that kept me engaged and constantly being thankful my life isn't that f**ked up and the worst relative I have is the annoying uncle that married in and tries to relate to us by doing "guy things" that end up making him look stupid, racist and chuvanistic...a real pain for sure (I wish him upon nobody), but he is no Jeremy. I think one thing that Robinson is going after in the book is this very thing. There is a whole culture that likes reading provocative novels and seeing how characters deal with the types of circumstances those in Blood Sports deal with. It delves into a world that seemingly most people in a college setting wouldn't relate to personally, and I think everyone has this inclination to be drawn to things of this nature. I don't think it really matters that Robinson is a native writer in this case. Its all about presentation, and she did a really good job at it.

I am also really happy we read both Contact Sports and Blood Sports because, like Ali said, it exposed us to a different kind of Native writing. I think it was really valuable to see that a Native writer does not by definition have to deal with "Native issues" in their novels, which I think was an easy impression to be left with after the other reading we did in this course.

That said, I have to echo other comments that I loved Monkey Beach and was not entirely prepared for Blood Sports when I began reading it. However, I was really intrigued by the "strucutral play" that went on throughout the novel. Beyond that, I am really intrigued by the idea of this being an allegory to native/non-native relationships. While I'm not so sure it works as well in Blood Sports as it does in Contact Sports, I think the issue of control feed into this particularly well. I think it is difficult to understand the kind of pervasive and powerful control someone like Jeremy can have over other people, just as it is difficult to imagine the control Western culture has over Native communities. Robinson did an excellent job showing how exactly that happens and is maintained in both Contact Sports and Blood Sports, which I found chilling. Even if the story is not meant to be allegorical, I think that particular lesson can applied from one to the other.

Ending the year with Contact Sports and Blood Sports was really nice. Like Maddie mentioned in her post, it was much easier to relate to Eden's stories because they were by far the most contemporary. It was interesting to compare Tom and Paulie in Contact Sports, to the Tom and Paulie in Blood Sports. Tom seemed much more in touch with his feelings and comfortable with himself since he now had a daughter, Mel.

When Tom states early on that Mel was the "only good thing to come out of lot of bad" (p.10), that thought stuck with me throughout the book. I know I had written a lot about Elijah and Xavier filling familial voids in Three Day Road, and I feel that this is Tom and Paulie's way of filling their own. Finding love in Mel in a way compensates the lack of parental guidance both Tom and Paulie have. Reading Contact Sports before Blood Sports really helped me develop this thought.

Blood Sports was one of my favorite books from this course and from English 180. I liked the writing style, it reminded me of Chuck Palahniuk's writing (author of Fight Club and Survivor). I found that I was not alone with this comparison as a review of Blood Sports from The Tyee mentions the similarities as well saying that “Blood Sports is the novel that Chuck Palahniuk would write if his talents were in any way commensurate with his hype.” I don't agree that his writing is overrated (although it has been shoved into the spotlight with the production of the Fight Club movie) or that Blood Sports is even better than any of his books that I have read. For me, Eden Robinson's one flaw of not being able to tie a plot together leaves major holes in the story. I respect a plot that is left in a open ended fashion with many hole if thats how the creator intended it (such as Donnie Darko), but it is entirely different when those holes are a byproduct of an authors inability to tell a story. That being said, I am still a fan of Monkey Beach and more so a fan of Blood Sport. I like the characters she creates, whom all seem more real and complex than characters from other books. One thing I liked about this story is that it all took place in my lifetime, during years I was not only alive, but can remember. Too many books that we are forced to read in any class are set in times that we are not familiar with with at all. Having the novel set in 1993 and 1998 with cultural references I know allowed me to identify with the story and get a better picture in my head. Another aspect I enjoyed about this book was the fragmented storyline. I imagine if this book were made into a movie it would be artistically similar to a lot of Quentin Tarintino's movies because of this. Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and Kill Bill were all stories which were formatted out of the order. The torturing of Tom was also very Tarintino. I could imagine when he was tied up to the tree, a black and white close up of the needle being heated in the flame followed by a close up of the needle just about to puncture his nipple before cutting away.

Blood Sports certainly differed from the other native writings that we have explored in this class. It was the only novel that didn't have any native people in it, nor did it make any direct political statements addressing such issues. I don't think it should alter our perception of what a native writer is or should be because I believe that all writers of any upbringing ought to be given the artistic freedom to write whatever they want.

I really enjoyed Blood Sports by Eden Robinson, especially the style and form in which the book was written. I too was excited to read Blood Sports after finishing Contact Sports, since the latter was such an action oriented-fast paced read. I agree with Tom that the style of the book, "mostly big holes, but we get little references around the edges of things" really enhances the novel. The style definitely pulled me into the book, and it was a refreshing change from the more standard-style novels we read earlier. The style also meshed well with the chaotic drugs and violence plot of the book.
I also strongly agree with Tom's point that one of the reasons to read Blood Sports is because "it was just a [great] novel that happened to be written by a Haisla woman." While the other novels which explored the lives and hardships of First Nations people were definitely worthwhile and eye-opening, Robinson's novel reminds us that just because an author is First Nations doesn't mean that their culture has to be the focus of the novel. I mean, isn't that one of the goals of fiction? Blood Sports is a powerful and intriguing novel which doesn't outwardly discuss First Nations people, though connections to First Nations abuse can be seen in the book.
Finally to continue with Jill's comment that the character's are more REAL in Blood Sports, I think that this again comes from Robinson's decision not to visibly focus on First Nations people. This makes the characters in the Blood Sports much deeper than 'stereotypical' characters such as April and Cheryl Raintree.
All in all a great read, much more modern (esp. in cultural references, which I've been recommending to my friends for a summer read.

Blood Sports was an extremely interesting and thought provoking novel. From the variety of personalities the characters embodied to the graphic scenes, I found myself really enjoying the time I spent reading the story. As other people have noted, after reading Monkey Beach last semester, I was really excited to read another book by Eden Robinson. What I enjoyed most was learning about the different characters, especially after reading Contact Sports. It thoroughly helped me to understand more of what was going on. When first thinking about how this novel fits in with the rest of the course, I didn’t necessarily see a direct connection. Yes, it is written by a First Nations author and takes place in Canada, but ultimately, the story and the themes don’t seem to exactly relate. The violence and drugs within the book are ideas that we have looked at previously. They are something we saw in other novels, e.g. Three Day Road, In Search of April Raintree. Although a different type, it was none-the-less violence and drugs. Blood Sports absolutely does not change the way I think of First Nations writings. If anything, it made me more observant of the fact that anyone (race, ethnicity, background, etc.), can write whatever they want to write (happiness, anger, sex, war, etc.). Overall, I really enjoyed reading and talking about the novel and it has inspired me to read more of Eden Robinson in the future.

I was very unprepared for the violence that I encountered in Blood Sports. At times I had to skip over some of the gory details, especially the scenes when Tom is being tortured by Firebug. To that end I felt that the novel was a little excessively violent but I also thought that it helped create a more realistic chain of events. I like how the violence in the novel was accompanied by a twisting and chaotic plot line. This seemed to be the most native element of the story. Robinson's non-linear writing style is similar to that of other native novels which incorporate mythology and indigenous stories. I thought that the way she jumps between narrative style was appropriate to her subject and also effective at creating more chaos in the novel. Her style seems to be an objective correllative to her subject. The chaos of her writing reflects the choas in the novel perfectly.

Although I was not a fan of the violence I have to say that this was my favorite book we have read all year. I think that it is a great look at addiction and the world of drugs.

Blood Sports definitely wasn't my favorite book of the semester, though I did enjoy it. After talking about Eden Robinson in class and watching her reading from the book during her visit last fall I started to enjoy it much more, remembering having heard her speak about her writing process and what sorts of books interest her. I read Monkey Beach in 180 last semester, and really really liked it, so I think I was expecting to like Blood Sports from the very beginning, and was disappointed when I didn't, but hearing Eden's voice associated with the book helped me to better appreciate it. This book is definitely different from others that we have read this semester; all of the others have dealt rather directly with issues of native life and culture, whereas this book does not seem to address those sorts of issues at all. I think for that reason Blood Sports is a really important addition to our syllabus, it shows us that Native authors do not need to address native issues to write popular novels. Of course, the fact that Blood Sports hasn't found a US publisher may point to that not being entirely the case...
What I enjoyed most about Blood Sports was the way in which Eden uses different forms of narrative to tell the story. As in Monkey Beach, I really like it when she speaks directly to the reader, as if telling the reader what to do, as if you yourself are a part of the book.

As I went to write my last essay I decided to write on violence and the way it shapes characters in novels. However, I found that after completing Blood Sports I was still searching for answers for Jeremy's obsession with violence and control. I realize now that the short story "Contact Sports" does shed light on Jeremy's past which gives clues as to why he became the person he is in Blood Sports. What I did find interesting also is Eden Robinson does not put any sort of note at the beginning of Blood Sports that there is a prequel short story. I feel like any reader that enjoyed Blood Sports should definitely be clued into the existence of "Contact Sports" because this story helps deepen the respect of a reader for the novel in its entirety.
As I progressed through Blood Sports I began searching for evidence that pointed to a character of first nations. Then I realized I was myself forming a stereotype of first nations writers, that they must write on first nations people or topics. This story however, does something for the way in which we regard the situation of any people. We know at the conclusion why many people act the way they do, whether an act of violence or betrayal. Stories in the end let us know about an individual which forces you to stray from stereotyping that person. At first I was quick to stereotype Tom as a bad father for the fact that it is learned from the start that he leaves his wife and child. However, did Tom do this for the right reason, to save them? I think so, this fact changes my entire opinion. This book makes me not so quick to judge a person by their actions. This intersects with King's discussion of how to tell what a true Indian looks like or acts like. The point is you can't, they are just people acting in very different ways and sometimes not so different ways. The point is not to judge them by what they are or are not.

Great Novel, great author. I found "Blood Sports" to be a refreshing treat to end the course on. Robinson's ability to create an imaginary world with such developed characters was fantastic. I found the relationsship betweeen Tom and Jeremy very fun to watch. Although clearly different from any other book we have read, i think this novel shared the themes of violence, addiction and maybe even a search for identity with several of the other works. I agree with te people who acknowledged "Blood Sports" as a different kind of writing. For me, this novel was very important because it made be realize that First Nations writers don't all write about the same themes and definalty not in the same styles. This gave me a deeper respect for these writers and brought more context to Native literature.

Blood Sports was definately much different than any of the books that we have read. First off, it should be noted that the characters in the novel are not even of Native descent, which is something that is new to all of us. I'm not sure if I like Robinson's writing style-it bounced around from a story, to letters, to video scenes, and back to a story. There was not much flow to the book, and figuring out exactly what was going on was a little tricky.
I read Contact Sports after Blood Sports, and I think that if I had read Contact Sports first I would have had a much better grip on what was going on in Blood Sports because I would have more background information on Jeremy and Tom. I think that I enjoyed Contact Sports more than Blood Sports simply because of how the novel flowed, but Blood Sports also had its parts. If I had to pick a favorite part of Blood Sports it would probably be the opening letter that Tom writes to Mel (pages 3-10). The style it was written and the placement of the letter, before we even begin to read the book, gives the reader a great introduction to the world of Tom and what the rest of the book will be like.

I think Blood Sports was probably my favorite book we read. I loved the frantic, sometimes-difficult-to-follow writing style. I liked the different narrative styles (third person, second person, letter format, video footage, etc) and I thought that the dialogue was really authentic-sounding and amazing. I think that the story, though gruesome, was original and compelling. I loved the richness of the characters, and the fact that they were all appealing in some way, despite their flaws. Even Jeremy, despicable as he could be, was interesting and extremely readable.
As far as first nations writers go, this book didn't change my opinion of them, because I never really had an opinion. I never had a fixed impression of them before reading Blood Sports, but I definitely can say that this book was incredibly different from the others in the course.

This was by far the most riveting, high-energy book we've read for the class (in my opinion). At first I thought i wasn't going to like it and I'd just go through skimming it confused, but after about 100 pages-ish it really got my attention. I suppose all of the drugs, sex, and gory(sp?) violence referenced in the novel could have had something to do with that. I felt, although it seemed a little unrealistic and over the top, it was the easiest to relate to for most of us, since it's most like the stuff we see on tv, in movies, and just hear people talking about in a "bad" sense. It was really interesting to read this by a Native writer; there seemed to be absolutely no refrences to the indigineous people (none blatantly written anyways) and it was also just shocking to me that probably the most intensely sexual & violent book i've ever read was written by this author! Like in her presentation I watched, she seemed so sweet and just laid back it's crazy how authors can get into these personas and tell the story like they themselves are in this evil, twisted mindset. It reminded me a lot of a Tarantino movie, with all the time & plot jumping, the characters working for Jeremy to do murders & crimes (kind of like Bill in Kill Bill w/his whole entourage). It also could be compared to Fight Club, I think, like Paul mentioned above--especially in the whole "Roll" section written in the 2nd person (also, verrry confusing to follow I think like we discussed in class). The movie & letter-writing style chapters were very engaging, though, and gave good visuals plus were just a really cool change of pace from a regular, orderly plot-driven novel.
Probably in my top 2 favorites. :)

Well, as others have said, this book was by far the most controversial read we have had all year. As a precursor, Contact Sports proved to be very helpful in guiding the reader as well as providing a base for the characters of Jeremy and Tom.
I read this novel in one sitting because I felt that if it were to be separated it would have been much more difficult to decipher the odd style in which Robinson writes her prose. To tell the truth, Jeremy was my favorite character simply because of the fear that he makes the characeters feel, but more so because of the lasting impression that he made on me. The novel haunted me for a few days after I had finished it and that, I believe, is a indicator of great writing.

I have to respond to Paul's comment way up above about this book being written in "our generation"... yes, it's in our lifetime AND years we can remember which is incredible! I never even thought about that... but I think it does make it much easier to relate to. The style of writing is just much more "now" and not situationally easy to relate to, but artistically, I suppose. It was more movie-like, I think, which made it more compelling because it had a ton of imagery--and like Ben said above it haunted me as well after. What a disturbing turn of events!

I also just have a question about the chapter names, don't know if anyone can really answer this one for me. Why do you think the first section is called Aura?? Some of the others confused me too... any thoughts??

Just a guess...
Maybe because, in that letter, he describes the feeling of an aura, of knowing that he is about to have a seizure. It is the feeling of paranoia and terror but with no known source (that feeling of a stranger in your house, etc) In this letter, the reader can infer that what we're about to read is going to be horrible and violent, and, most of all, that Tom will be forced to sepearte himself from his family. It is like an aura for us, we don't know the source of the upcoming pain, but are able to sense that something is not right.