Author: Helen Black
Title: Blood Rush
Publisher: Robinson
Paperback Original: 311 pages
ISBN: 978-1-84901-473-1
Price: £6.99
Publication Date: 21/04/2011
It’s rare for a crime novel to make me think about the society that I live in, rather than be a vehicle for escapism – but that is exactly what Helen Black’s fourth novel, Blood Rush, did. Its subject matter – teen gangs, violence and knife crime, and class boundaries – are obviously incredibly emotive subjects at the moment in Britain, and they are cleverly used in this novel to really make them have a very definite impact on the reader. It does rather beg the question of whether fiction should be purely for the purposes of enjoyment or if it should try to hold a candle up to society’s ills and have – in a way – a moral purpose.
And, after reading Blood Rush, I found that Black had managed to make me to a certain extent re-evaluate the way in which I view British urban gang culture. Having grown up in South London [which is, of course, far better than the post-apocalyptic wasteland that is North London. Ha ha!], I do have some experience of the world that Black is writing about – but it is still a very limited experience. Something that became abundantly clear as I read the book.
Set in the estates of Luton, the novel opens with a girl gang savagely beating a rival gang member. Tough-talking, maverick lawyer, Lilly Valentine, is asked to represent the girl accused of leading the attack, and has to fight against a wall of silence from the community and the fact that the father of her baby daughter is the lead investigator on the case [which doesn’t bode well for their already fraught ‘relationship’]. And, all the while, the reader gets the sense that it is only a matter of time before a rival gang seeks retribution. But, in a way, you can’t really condense the plot into only a few sentences, as Blood Rush’s plot arc doesn’t so much resemble the trajectory of your typical crime novel, but rather has similarities to a television drama or a documentary.
And with its sharp narrative and grittily realistic depictions of drug use, violence, street vernacular and the effects that these things have upon families and society, this is a novel that certainly has an impact. And you can certainly see that Black has been able to bring her experience as a lawyer to bear upon her writing – the sections set around the police station and the court feel incredibly realistic.
Low on laughs and light, Blood Rush is probably not a novel that will appeal to all crime fiction readers due to its topic(ality) and setting. However, don’t let that discourage you as this is a really though-provoking and different read.
This sounds interesting: a book I would very much like to read…
I’ve read all of Helen Black’s other book and she has me hooked on them. Can’t wait to get my hands on this one to add to my others.