59 pages • 1-hour read
Bad Blood
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Themes
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence, child abuse, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.
The Loyalty and Support of Found Family Versus Blood Ties
Bad Blood explores the concept of family through the stark contrast between biological relatives and chosen companions, arguing that true kinship is forged in loyalty and support, not inherited through blood. The novel posits that the destructive legacies of toxic biological families can be counteracted only by the healing bonds of a found family. This chosen family structure provides the safety and acceptance necessary for the characters to redefine their identities outside the shadow of their origins.
The novel consistently portrays blood ties as a source of trauma and constraint. Dean Redding is perpetually haunted by his serial killer father, Daniel, who uses their connection to psychologically torment both Dean and his girlfriend, Cassie. Similarly, Michael Townsend endures relentless physical and emotional abuse from his father, Thatcher, who views his son as an extension of his own public image and legacy. Thatcher’s violent outburst, which culminates in striking Michael, underscores how brutal control rather than affection defines their relationship. These toxic dynamics instill in the characters a deep-seated fear of their own nature, as is evident when Cassie worries about inheriting her mother’s capacity for violence, viewing it as “bad blood.”
In direct opposition to these damaging relationships, the Naturals function as a true family unit, offering one another unconditional protection and support despite their interpersonal challenges. When Thatcher assaults Michael, Dean immediately steps in to defend him, while the others offer comfort, creating a shield of solidarity that Michael’s blood relatives never provided. Lia frequently uses her skills in deception to protect her friends’ emotional well-being, such as creating a diversion to spare Dean the pain of knowing that Cassie is meeting with his father. This found family allows for vulnerability and mutual defense, enabling its members to confront and heal from their inherited traumas. Because they choose to stand by each other, the Naturals actively resist the destructive patterns of their bloodlines and forge new identities based on shared trust and moral conviction.
The Moral Compromises Necessary for Survival
Bad Blood explores the corrupting influence of survival, portraying it not as a triumphant victory but as a grueling process that exacts a heavy psychological and moral toll. The novel suggests that enduring monstrous acts often requires compromising one’s humanity, blurring the line between perpetrator and target. This theme develops through characters who are forced to adopt the very darkness they’re trying to overcome in their desperate bids to endure.
The most direct illustration of this moral compromise is Cassie’s relentless pursuit of her mother’s captors. Driven by the need to bring her mother home, Cassie resolves that she would “make a deal with any devil” (8) to find the truth. This resolution leads her to manipulate Daniel Redding by disclosing intimate details of her relationship with his son, Dean, an act she acknowledges as selling her soul. This calculated psychological manipulation is a monstrous act that she commits for a noble cause, demonstrating how the fight against evil can necessitate the use of its own tainted weapons, leaving the survivor to grapple with the moral cost of their choices.
Further complicating this theme are characters who internalize their trauma as a survival mechanism. Michael copes with his father’s unpredictable violence by intentionally provoking it, thereby gaining a semblance of control over his own abuse. This self-destructive pattern is a twisted form of survival that he learned in an environment where pain was inevitable. A similar darkness is implicit in the fate of Cassie’s mother. Daniel Redding suggests that after years of captivity, she “might be quite the devil herself” (9), hinting that prolonged exposure to monstrosity can reshape a person entirely. The “game” taught to Cassie’s younger sister, Laurel, which involves mimicking the act of being shackled, reinforces how violence and manipulation can become normalized tools for enduring an inescapable reality.
The Duality of Power and Control
Bad Blood examines the dual nature of power and control, presenting it as both a destructive tool for psychological manipulation and a necessary mechanism for survival. The novel positions the ability to control perceptions and narratives as the most effective weapon in a world defined by psychological warfare. However, it also shows that wielding such power, whether for malicious or protective reasons, invariably comes at a great moral and emotional cost.
The novel’s antagonists use control as a means of domination. Thatcher Townsend masterfully blends charm, wealth, and intimidation to maintain absolute authority over his family and associates, preserving his powerful image at all costs. Daniel Redding, despite being incarcerated, exerts significant psychological influence through words alone. During his interrogation, he engages Cassie in a game of “verbal chess” (10), seeking to “plant questions and doubts so that when I walk out of this room, a part of you goes with me” (5). These men use control as a weapon to shatter others’ psyches and establish dominance. This dynamic is mirrored in the Masters’ cult, which relies on ritual, secrecy, and psychological pressure to maintain its power over its members. They rarely reveal to others the personal cost of maintaining this power, such as the pain resulting from the isolation they impose on themselves (whether from family, friends, or rivals they acknowledge as equals). However, they use pain as a source of empowerment.
Conversely, the protagonists are forced to wield control against their antagonists. Lia, a master of deception, continuously uses lies and misdirection as a shield to protect herself and her friends from emotional harm and external threats. Her fabricated stories create a buffer against a hostile world that seeks to exploit their vulnerabilities. Likewise, Cassie learns to use manipulation, strategically giving Redding information about Dean to steer their conversation and extract a crucial lead. For the Naturals, control isn’t a tool of oppression but a reactive and necessary strategy for navigating danger. This constant need to manipulate and strategize, however, forces them into morally ambiguous and emotionally draining territory, highlighting the precarious nature of their work.
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