Blood Test

A Comedy

By: Charles Baxter

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

From the winner of the PEN/Malamud Award and “one of our most gifted writers” (Chicago Tribune) comes a comic novel about a divorced Midwestern dad who takes a cutting-edge medical test and learns that he has a predisposition to murder.

In this fresh take on love and trouble in America, Brock Hobson, an insurance salesman and Sunday-school teacher, finds his equilibrium disturbed by the results of a predictive blood test. Baxter, a master storyteller, brings us a gradually building rollercoaster narrative, and a protagonist who is impertinent, searching, and hilariously relatable. From his good-as-gold, gentle girlfriend to the macho subcontractor guy his ex-wife left him for, not to mention his well-raised teenage kids, now exploring sex and sexuality, the secondary characters in Brock's life all contribute meaningfully to the drama, as increasing challenges to his sense of self and purpose crash over him. The final battle—no spoilers, but there is one—couldn't be more delightful, as this quick and bracing novel reminds us to choose the best people to love, accept the ones we love even if we didn’t choose them, and love them all well.

©2024 Charles Baxter (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Riotously funny. . . . At its core, this is a disarmingly sweet novel about family, an entertainment with just the right amount of Midwestern menace.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Baxter’s sharp observations and ear for dialogue are on full display.” —Publishers Weekly

“Blood Test is a funny, morally luminous, altogether irresistible caper that somehow, wonderfully, calls to mind both Nietzsche and Charles Portis. What a maestro Charles Baxter is.” —Joseph O'Neill, author of Godwin

I didn’t hate it, but don’t recommend it

The reader is good, performing the different characters using consistent tones of voice. The story meanders and never really goes anywhere. I know it’s supposed to be a commentary on something - the way we live or what is truly important, I don’t know - but this style didn’t resonate with me. It was not funny, as reviewed, and there were many parts that were too long and it skipped around, as if the author got tired of writing one part, so just moved to something else. I finished it, but I don’t recommend it. Time is finite - spend it listening to something more enjoyable.

Lack of story progression

I found this a disjointed and poorly developed storyline. Characters were not relatable and showed no growth. A waste of time and money for me. I certainly wouldn’t call it a comedy.

A funny, weird, satire with heart

Baxter is a very clever, skillful writer and storyteller, and much of this story feels tongue-in-cheek. He definitely leaves you guessing about how you should actually feel about the narrator and about where the story is going. I was worried it was going to end in a bloodbath like The Bee Sting, but thankfully it did not. If anything the ending feels oddly hopeful. The narrator is basically a self-righteous, tight-assed douchebag who, over the course of the story, you actually learn to love and root for. Which is often how I feel about myself, so the fact that it ends more in family farce than tragedy feels somehow both encouraging and heartwarming.

Creepy.. and also boring as hell

in a starting chapter main character in the first person is too creepy, commenting on specific sounds his teen daughter makes frequently during sex in his house, What “Dad” character does anyone want to hear saying that sort of thing. Trudged thru 7 chapters so far and while it is less creepy it is more dull. Never going to listen to NPR recommendations for books again. 2nd time I wasted money on something that they labelled as “comedic” that has no joy,

Read only if you don’t want to like one single character

I saw this recommended in a readers digest as something funny. It is not. I could not identify with any character. They were not amusing or interesting or in the least bit likable. I feel like I wasted my money and my time with this one. This is probably the first book review I’ve ever done, but it has weighed on my conscience that I need to put this review out there so no one else foolishly purchases this book in any format.

And I normally love most books that fall into a humor or comedy category. I would not recommend this book to a soul. Steer clear and save your money.

Terrible book

One of the worst books I've ever tried to read. Comedy? No. If the story were to work at all, and it doesn't, it might work as a cautionary tale. How this got touted as something I, or anybody, might enjoy is a travesty of rating.