Blood Family

Gr 9 Up—From the ages of four to seven, Edward lives in an abusive situation with his mother and her hard-drinking partner, Harris. One day, while Harris beats Edward's mother senseless, an elderly neighbor calls the authorities. The severe beatings his mother endured have resulted in permanent brain damage, and she is sent to an institution. Edward spends time with a kind foster family before his adoption by the Steads. The adjustment to a normal life does not happen quickly. On a school field trip to a science museum, Edward is chosen to be aged up by a computer to show what he will look like as an adult. To his shock, he discovers that he looks just like his mother's abusive partner and that Harris is his biological father. This leads to a downward spiral of drugs and drinking as Edward realizes that he, too, has the potential to become a monster. In this riveting tale of nurture vs. nature, the complexities of family, identity, and the lasting impact of abuse are explored. Edward is a well-rounded character who is finally saved by the love of his adopted family and his own resilience. Told from multiple perspectives, the novel is at times quite dark and is somewhat reminiscent of Melvin Burgess's Smack.