Blood Test

Praise

“[A] quiet masterpiece. . . . The genius of Blood Test is how adroitly Baxter takes the measure of our moment, in all its insanity and perplexing depravity. It is a profound and unsettling—and, yes, frequently funny—snapshot of our current tribulations, cast in relief against the stubborn peculiarities of the American character. Humor is famously subjective but it’s safe to say that, from the start, we’re in practiced and confident hands here.” —The New York Times

“Once you fall under the charm of Brock’s breezy patter, you’re in. . . . the story charges along so boisterously that it’s easy to forget Baxter is batting around some of the weightiest concerns of human experience, from the nature of fate and the boundaries of free will to the power of unconditional love. Fortunately, he remembers the first rule of comic novels: Keep it short. . . . At 77, Baxter is still fearlessly embracing his own zaniness. The narrative voice he creates for Blood Test sounds like an old friend simultaneously touching your heart and pulling your leg.” —The Washington Post
 
“In Blood Test, Baxter invites us to laugh at this all-American zaniness and to acknowledge some of the pain that fuels it.” —NPR’s Fresh Air
 
“He’s written something closer to a farce — a story in which every predicament is intentionally absurd […] After Baxter has laid out the parade of selfish, money-hungry, blindly tech-admiring elements of contemporary life, the black comedy of the words shines through.” —Los Angeles Times
 
“[Blood Test’s] humor, which is delightful, is wrapped around truths and drama and so, while we laugh, we also feel a shot of anxiety. It is a wonderfully crafted book, more complicated than it first might seem.” —Minnesota Star Tribune

“Blood Test is wonderfully wacky, a hyperbolic yet heartfelt book about modern life in all its absurdity, featuring medical bills, target practice, a pet rat, meatloaf, college applications, walks in the county park, and love of all kinds.” —Houston Chronicle

“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)

“Blood Test may offer a dark view of aspects of middle America, but it is consistently amusing and is an expression of its author’s deep fascination with and love of flawed, eccentric Americans as well as a celebration of old-fashioned values. . . .  Blood Test demonstrates that laughter is still the best medicine.” —New York Journal of Books

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

“Immensely enjoyable. . . . A deeply funny, profound, and timely comedy about the contemporary overreliance on data to predict everything and anything, Baxter’s latest is another excellent tale to add to his much admired and enjoyed body of work.” —Booklist

“Sandwiched between hilarious scenes is Brock’s love for his family and his display of sympathy for his ex-wife and her ne’er-do-well boyfriend. The coda is inventive just like the countless laugh-out-loud moments in this imaginative book.” —Minnesota Monthly

“[A] disarming tale of love, family, and the things that give our lives meaning.” —Shelf Awareness 

“In Blood Test Baxter has crafted a testament to his enduring literary talent as well as a remarkably relevant work that speaks to the lives led by normal people these days, a book that blends humor with profound social commentary, offering a severe yet thoroughly entertaining exploration of contemporary American life. It is a necessary novel for right now.” —The Spectator

“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