{"product_id":"blood-test-a-comedy-paperback","title":"Blood Test: A Comedy - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eCharles Baxter\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the winner of the PEN\/Malamud Award and \"one of our most gifted writers\"(\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e) 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.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 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 the mall well.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eCHARLES BAXTER is the author of the novels \u003ci\u003eThe Feast of Love\u003c\/i\u003e (nominated for the National Book Award), \u003ci\u003eFirst Light\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSaul and Patsy\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eShadow Play\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Soul Thief\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Sun Collective\u003c\/i\u003e and the story collections \u003ci\u003eBelievers\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGryphon\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHarmony of the World\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA Relative Stranger\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThere's Something I Want You to Do\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThrough the Safety Net\u003c\/i\u003e. His stories have been included several times in The Best American Short Stories. Baxter lives in Minneapolis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 224\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 7.9 x 5.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 07, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43153359470655,"sku":"9780593685594","price":20.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/O-4XKcaken9780593685594.webp?v=1776946642","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/blood-test-a-comedy-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}