Used & Abused: Some Of Your Blood

In my Used & Abused posts I shine a light on older books that made a difference in my reading/writing life, or books that have come out more recently but might've slipped under your radar. Now in a perfect world, I wouldn't have to introduce anyone to Theodore Sturgeon because his name would be as well known as JD Salinger or John Steinbeck. But we don't live in a perfect world. It might be better if more people read Sturgeon. He writes cleanly, economically. His prose is something to be admired -- like a well-built piece of furniture. He's a true craftsman, and it shows (mostly by not showing at all). This guy can squeeze your heart like no other. He has a keen eye for describing human cruelty and the inner workings of the outsider. But the best thing about Sturgeon is his uncanny ability to get the reader to empathize. We could use more empathy (and less reality TV). If you don't know Sturgeon, fear not. His works are brisk and, on the surface, quite simple. He's probably better known for his short stories and his science fiction novels (More Than Human, The Dreaming Jewels, Venus Plus X). But I'd like to recommend his sort-of-horror novel, Some Of Your Blood, which is an examination of psychopathology and, perhaps, vampirism. The form of the novel is a case study, a group of letters from the file of a soldier in a military psychiatric hospital. By reading the file, you become yet another forensic investigator perusing the shocking evidence of AKA George Smith's actions. This book sneaks up on you, and it lingers in the mind. I like that. Hell, you can't miss with Sturgeon. After all, he wrote the story "Killdozer!".