Exposition. Back story. Writers want more. Editors cut. My “Black Panthers” editor cut a tremendous amount of exposition from the 761st work. The same happened with “Blood Stripe.” In the latter phases of massaging exposition, the writer decides what must remain on the page and what can go.
We don’t always get the balance right.
As I have written, “Blood Stripe” can be read as a rollicking thriller or one may latch onto its deeper, darker themes.
Without giving anything away, below is a copy of some background I place on the Blood Stripe FB site. This may be of no interest to any reading this, but it is here.
Blood Stripe is a character-drive thriller by a cabal of damaged players who are mired (and I mean stuck) in shared pasts. A subplot to the story begs the question: Can they break free? The path is different for each as far as shaking the past, but they move down the same murderous path the Blood Stripe’s climax.The major characters have arcs. They take to long route from A to B. I leave it to the reader to discern the rest. I did remove a thought from Susanna. At one point she is horrified. Amid the mayhem, she realizes that she is interacting with another character (and really more than that one) as a college kid, though she is 16 years removed. Worse, she sees them acting as mids. She is captivated by this past, but she knows she cannot live in 1984.
Susanna Marcasi is good. She may not see herself that way, but she is written to be simple and low-tech for the year 2000. But she is a complex character, enduring anguish thrown on her from all fronts yet persevering. But it has taken its toll. She is the definition of damaged good. The damage to each character or the damage they may have inflicted has kept them chained to, let’s call them, their glory days. Face-value, some might my take as silly. Actually, it is quite sad, even tragic, and I think we all know people like this.
Regarding Susanna’s engagement. The person to whom she become engaged at the end of her academy sophomore year is very insecure and latches onto her. She is leaving for a semester exchange. The engagement is a means of control. She knows this, but given her past, agrees, afraid she of becoming her mother (and threatened by the myriad things she has seen) if she doesn’t.
So, I think that does it. There are reasons things are written as they have been.
If you have read it, I hope that helps. OH, and this is meant to be a wild ride with this cabal. Sure, some thing may be simplistic and improbable, but they are not impossible. Though this book has themes of abuse, self-destruction, etc., it is still, FIRST, entertainment. This is not high-concept fiction. It was never written as such.
Enjoy the ride. (If you have read this far, congrats. Ignore my typos!) Gina
