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Naevia Please, whatever you do, DO NOT give a moment's thought to the ridiculous, adolescent fever dreams some "reviewers" have seen fit to ascribe to Pete H…morePlease, whatever you do, DO NOT give a moment's thought to the ridiculous, adolescent fever dreams some "reviewers" have seen fit to ascribe to Pete Hamill's Flesh and Blood. Especially egregious is the inexplicable drivel currently heading the Pete Hamill "Flesh and Blood" opening page on this site (17 OCT 2019; "Blond blue-eyed Bobby Fallon..."). Por favor.

While there is, in the novel, an extremely difficult dynamic between mother and son which possesses an oppressive, longstanding sexual element, it is examined deftly and with Mr Hamill's customary compassion and insight, and this dynamic is every bit as troubling to the characters involved as it is to the reader.

Flesh and Blood is the story of a conflicted working-class young man haunted by a punishing past. His hard-won pugilistic skills lead him from prison into a realm only a short remove from the harshness and mistreatment that has informed much of his existence to now. He has heart, character, and the courage to hope for better days than he has known, but is faced with putting certain demons to rest before he can move forward and breathe free. The aforementioned mother-son dynamic obviously falls into that category. Unexamined rage, largely associated with the failings of his absentee father and their many consequences, is another issue young Bobby Fallon must confront, lest he be destroyed by it.

Be aware that the novel is as much about the fight game itself—with all its savage energy, backroom politics, greed, and heart-stopping physical grace—as it is about Bobby’s attempt to navigate his way to a life of quality and perhaps some portion of joy, where love is a thing that liberates heart and mind instead of choking them off in the darkness of emotional desperation.

You might want to read the two measured, highly personal reviews of the novel featured on Amazon.com as of this writing. (Not the few sophomoric toss-offs located nearby. You’ll know the ones to which I refer when you see them.) The reviewers to whom I point both understand that this is one of the author's finest feats of storytelling and characterization. They know that a thoughtful reader comes away from Flesh and Blood...changed...by its uncommon depth, intelligence, and astonishing rough beauty.

The novel is concerned with human beings and how and why they strive; where they find their opportunities and how they play them out; how they manage the realities that cannot be undone; and how they ultimately orient themselves toward the people shaping the substance of their lives, along with the costs—and gains—attendant to the decisions they make.

As an aside here: I only registered on this site about an hour ago expressly to suggest that readers interested in the book summarily dismiss irresponsible, misleading, and puerile "synopses" centered on an illicit sex-fest which simply does not appear in the novel.

Pete Hamill deserves better than that.(less)

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