I’ve been in a reading mood lately, which is great as I’ve lots of wonderful books. The flipside is that I now have a big pile of books screaming out to be reviewed. It being back-to-school season, I’ve been focusing on books for children, starting with the Young Adult thriller, Oxford Blood by Rachael Davis Featherstone.
What Is Oxford Blood?
What if the admissions process for one of the U.K.’s most prodigious university colleges was literally a cut-throat affair? That is the premise of Oxford Blood.
Eva has applied to Beecham College, Oxford University, along with her best (and almost boy-) friend, George. They have both been invited to the interview week, both competing for one of the handful of places for those who wish to study English and Classics.
Eva is mixed-race and a state-school pupil, so something of a fish out of water in the rarified, expensive atmosphere of an elite British university. Most of the other applicants will have gone to public and private schools; their families wealthy for generations.
This is going to be tough. A rigorous intellectual challenge, as well as an emotional one. Eva will have to stare prejudice down and overcome a system traditionally stacked against her. Her task becomes even greater when, on the first morning of the interview week, she wakes to discover George has been murdered.
The police think that George has died because of a dare gone wrong. Eva is convinced it was foul play. The daughter of a decorated police detective, Eva is determined to uncover the truth.
Why Read Oxford Blood?
There’s a lot going on in Oxford Blood. First, readers will need to suspend their belief a little. There’s pretty much no way the events of the book would have been allowed to continue through to the end. This, however, might just be my jaded 50+ year-old cynic coming out. The book’s intended readers may well barely notice.
Anyway, assuming you can set that aside, you’re in for a treat.
At the core of the novel is a mystery Colin Dexter (author of the Inspector Morse novels) would have been proud of. Misleading threads, secret societies, and ancient codes deliver an intriguing mystery that will keep readers enthralled. I did manage to work out who the killer was, but the book was no less entertaining for it.
Where the novel shines is with its social themes. The examination of privilege in the UK and the complexities surrounding becoming an involuntary spokesperson for other people like you. What should be done about our colonial history, and institutions built on the back of the profits of slavery? I know these debates run hotter in the US than the UK, but Rachael Davis Featherstone writes deftly on the subject. I feared, as the novel opened, that her approach might be heavy-handed and didactic, but was pleased to discover Oxford Blood offers a nuanced and thought-provoking take.
This sense of nuance deepens around the “old school tie” elements of privilege in Britain’s elite institutions. There is a literal secret society; a boys’ club, that prevents its members from coming to harm. Elements inside Beecham College are trying to change the system, generating friction between the novel’s protagonists.
This sets up another intriguing narrative strand that examines the pitfalls of access schemes. Asking whether lifting some people from a disadvantaged background above others in the same position (those who can access the scheme and those who cannot), only creates another tier system, adding another rung to an already slippery ladder.
All in all, Oxford Blood is a thoughtful book wrapped around a killer story. While elements of the plot feel implausible, the real-world politics and social mores of the book are on point. Overall, this is a compelling and satisfying read.
If you would like to pick up a copy of Oxford Blood, you can do so here in the US and here, in the UK. (Affiliate Links)
If you enjoyed this review, check out my other book reviews, here.
I received a copy of this book in order to write this review.
Fonte: GeekDad - Leia mais