The short story Blood by Roddy Doyle can be found in Stories: All-New Tales Edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio.

Short Synopsis

A man, married with children, discovers one evening that he has an insatiable desire for blood, but doesn’t understand why. It’s not as though he’s a vampire, or even has an interest in them. Still, this desire drives him to do some crazy things which involves a neighbor’s chickens.

My Thoughts on Blood by Roddy Doyle

Overall, this was a quick and entertaining read, although I must admit the prose style required some getting used to. (There are no quotes for the dialog; it’s preceded by a dash.)

That said, this wasn’t the greatest short story I’d ever read. In a few places there was a noticeable voice shift which pulled me out of the story and other sections meandered, which just shouldn’t happen in a short story.

As far as character development goes, there wasn’t much, but it was forgivable since the primary focus is on what’s happening to the protagonist. The unfolding scenario was interesting enough to hold my attention and there was a fun twist at the end which made me smile on the inside.

This is my first time reading Roddy Doyle and, after this story, I’m likely to read more of his writing.

Final rating: B

(You can actually read this story online for free at the Times website. Don’t know if that link will work forever, though.)