Trauma Baby

by Darren Van Gramberg

Adam showed me the inside of his bag. There was a strawberry yogurt inside which confused me even more.

“Adam’s gonna crack it open in Lucy’s bag. When the coast is clear of course,” said Delilah, raising the devilish grin.

I glanced over at Lucy, who wasn’t in a group yet. The awkwardness of waiting for the stupid teacher to put you somewhere, it’s a sick routine I never supported.

I scratched my head. “Look Adam—”

“No, you listen, David,” Adam cut me off. “You got one pass at the bookstore but that’s it!”

I believed him this time and I knew our so called ‘stalemate’ was at an end. This truly marked the departure I was about to take. I was gambling everything I had, losing all my friends in the process. If I allowed Adam to do this, the pathway to Lucy would be cut off and she’d never talk to me again.

Once I sorted out my collar, I told Adam, “This isn’t going to end well for you, mate.”

Trauma Baby is a dark psychological romance set in London. This British tale revolves around secondary school

297 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2013

Reviews

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Your possessions get taken away if you have any and you get a full strip search done.’

British author Darren Van Granberg offers Book 1 of the TRAUMA BABY TRILOGY (Book 2 called SHOCK COLLAR is also available) and while we know little about the author, it is quite evident that he intends to explore the scattered vestiges of decency that result from a lad’s living a life of exceptional trauma.

With little to gain from his literary background we are left to simply respond to this debut book of the trilogy. He opens a strange and disturbing tale with a prologue that becomes more significant after reading his short book: ‘ “David… what on earth have you done?” asked my mother, rubbing the wasted skin of a beat down knuckle. “This isn’t you.” “Whether it’s me or not is irrelevant. The other kid deserved it,” I said. “Damn it, David!” yelled my father. “Have you lost your bloody mind?” “I can handle it, Nick. Let me reason with the boy,” said my mother, doing her best to diffuse a time-bomb, I’d already lit. My father paced up the stairs, muttering as he went by “First yesterday and now this!?” She steered my eyes, to grasp hold the image of my battered fist. “Is this the person you wish to become?” she asked. “But I enjoyed it, mum.” She caught my face. “David, the actions you take will come at a cost. Using me as an excuse… Do you believe that’s fair?” “You’re only thirty. Does this fairness… even exist?” “I know, dear… I know,” she paused for a moment. “You’re going to find a gorgeous girl and live happily ever after. You know that, right?” “Err… where did that come from, mum?” “I’ve seen her in my dreams. She’s beautiful.” “It’s not gonna work out the way you expect…”

And with this tone set we walk through the life of a lad in London whose too early married parents are dead (father from alcoholism, his mother from congenital heart disease), who is a fragile hemophiliac, and who has witnessed the foster home route, and stumbles along with little direction through a school experience that is positive. Or as Darren shares the synopsis of this brief but painful story, ‘David’s seen his fair share of hurt, in and around the darker side of London. Whether it comes from the troublesome schoolgirls or the rampant schoolboys, David knows how to play the game. Placed at a crossroad between good and bad, David develops interest in a new girl, a newcomer to the world of Burfield Grammar, a school inhabited by the most sinister and cold-hearted youngsters. Risk has always been a part of David, reason why he attracted the naughty girls into becoming close companions with him. But changing lanes isn’t always a simple transition as David is about to find out.’

Harsh story and Darren’s language of pace of revealing the life of David makes it credible. This would be a solid book for youngsters at the high school level who need to see the signs of a rocky future and how to cope.

[Ian Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows David, a 15 year-old hemophiliac, as a pupil at what appears to be a not-very-good London school. David's mother has a heart condition and is awaiting a transplant, but she drops dead while buying David an ice cream. My first criticism is that this should be a gut-wrenching experience, but not for David, who seems to have little emotion. Now, maybe the author is trying to paint a picture of a sociopath, but I am unconvinced that this is the case. David's father is a drunkard who runs off and leaves David to fate, and he is adopted by what looks like a better family than he could normally expect. As you might gather from the title, David is not particularly well-behaved, and is seemingly easily drawn into fights, and here I am not convinced by the hemophilia, because there are no consequences of it. He gets a cut skin, and puts a bandage on it. Sorry, but I don't believe that. It is hard to say much more about David's situation without spoiling. It is a rather depressing story; depressing in its account of the education system, and depressing in terms of what the Justice/Social system does to David. Many of the characters are tolerably well-drawn in the sense I can see what they are going to do, but I did not get Megan, who is moderately important, I felt there needed to be some explanation or more story to account for Delilah's actions, and I felt David was somewhat one-dimensional. By that I mean, yes, what he does is consistent with that dimension, but he seems to ignore everything else, and I did not understand why. I thought the ending was unconvincing, and more a ploy to get to the next book. The book is not very long, and if it wishes to stop there, it really needed a bit more exploration of character, given that the number of events is rather small. It is difficult to grade; the social issues presented are worth 4 stars, but the supporting character and plot development three. I have elected to encourage the author.

[Phil Bolos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trauma Baby by Darren Van Gramberg follows David as he attempts to navigate the darker side of London. As the title suggests, David has been living with Trauma in his life. He was born when his parents were just in their teens and his father, while still being there and supporting him, has drifted off into alcoholism. David lives with the knowledge that his birth is what drove his father down this path. David was also born with hemophilia, a disease that makes it difficult for your blood to clot. The result of this is every cut possibly having severe consequences. Finally, as if the final stroke of the blade, his mother was diagnosed with a heart defect and dies when no donor can be found. His father, unwilling or unable to take care of him, turns David over to foster care. Now, with no guidance from parents and his mother’s shoulder gone, David is forced to survive a school that is infiltrated with harsh gangs. Traumatic is truly a word that can describe the events that unfold within the pages of this book.
When I started reading Trauma Baby I thought I would be reading a story similar to A Child Called It. What I found instead was a story with a stronger lead character and a more diverse storyline. While both stories are meant to leave a lasting mark on the reader, I feel Trauma Baby is more effective with today’s audience since it discusses the problems many kids in today’s schools face. I’m not sure if this would count as young adult fiction or adult, but I feel that either audience would enjoy the read as long as they understand going into it that there are not many happy parts throughout.

[Veritas Vincit · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't often stumble across a book that grabs you by the throat with such force, but Trauma Baby knew what it was all about from the very first page, and with a powerful narrative voice and an unrelenting style of emotional prose, it was hard to put this book down. David must be one of the most captivating characters I've come across in recent months, perhaps because he does seem torn from the headlines. This read like a real story playing out in a miniseries or documentary. A child with no parental structure to speak of, a disease that makes him a walking emergency, emotional issues, social fears.... this entire story was heart-wrenching and inspiring at the same time. How can you survive in a harsh world without becoming harsh yourself? Is there room for genuine affection and love within a world that seems intent on crushing them?

There were some intense moments in this story where I felt myself almost afraid to read on, for fear that something tragic was waiting on the next page, but the writing was just so good. It was captivating in the best way, and despite the intense subject matter, I think this is the sort of book that needs to be written, but can only be penned by someone who has a real understanding of pain, resilience, and salvation.

[Ivory R · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story pace at first was pretty slow up until the death of David's mom. David has a temper and gets into physical confrontations. I was surprised at how often he did especially because of his hemophilia--which must be an extremely mild case. I will admit, I liked David, he reminded of some of the teenage boys I knew in school, class clown with a bad temper. The other characters were authentic and likeable or unlikeable to the reader.

David knew Delilah was trying to set him up, he just didn't know how in depth the plan went. I was surprised at the lengths that she went to set up the plan. Why couldn't she have just been honest about her feelings? David lost his best friend Samuel as well as the girl he liked Lucy because of Delilah's manipulations. My heart went out to David as he tried to do the right thing, not get involved in the all out teenage war but then was provoked into the fight with Isaac. I also felt like there were several steps missing with the relocation process to the juvenile detention facility. Realistically, I am not sure there would have been a way for him to avoid that fight, not at his current maturity level. Overall, good read for anyone who likes young adult books containing mixture of social/family issues and romance.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful and dark are the two first words that should be used to describe this story, and you should prepare yourself for an emotional and psychological journey into the cruelty of adolescence, the dangerous self-loathing of loneliness, and the challenge of ever trusting someone once you've been left alone for too long. In this striking novel, we are taken to London's darker corners, certain places that I recognize from my time living there, in fact, and I could almost hear the catcalls and shouting in the streets as schoolchildren jeered and fought. There was a grim realism to the writing here, that wasn't diminished when a potential romantic interest arrives, nor when the plot moves through its expected peaks and valleys. Van Gramberg is resilient in his writing style, and honest, as far as I can tell. The intimate knowledge of this type of life, including the impact of foster homes and early parental loss, makes for a believable and unforgettable story that will make you hold your loved ones close, but also look at the outsiders of the world with a bit more empathy.

[Shannon Savory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an excellent start to a series. I was unsure at times where it was going because a lot of information was given but it was still excellent. I found my self breathing in a sudden intake of air towards the end of the book because I was surprised and devastated at the same time. The book follows a young man who is dealing with the sudden lost of his mother due to an illness and then the devastating blow of being abandoned by his father shortly after. With all this stress it is no wonder he does not shy away from a fight even if he knows he wont win. The friends he keeps are not the greatest influence and that in the end brings him to his down fall and losing the last thing that is important to him. I am interested to read the next book for sure. As I want to know what becomes of him, his next challenge will be far from easy and as corny as it sounds I want to be there with him through it. This was a well written book, that I will be recommending to a friend of mine. I hope others will enjoy it as I did.

[Chanda Shae Curry]

Follow the unsettling life of a 15 year old boy David.After the sudden,but,not unexpected death of his young mother. His subsequent rejection by his worthless father.He is tossed into the system.He lives by the pop ups of feelings,anger,fear,loss of reality.When they pop up he uses his fists to deal with them.Calls himself a trauma baby.I was so excited when I seen that the writer actually incorporated the title into the story.How he,the writer,could have very well been taking us on his own personal journey through his teenage years,crossed my mind many times.David isn't really a bully,more of a kid that just goes along with the flow,until the flow gets interrupted. Doesn't really seem to grasp the concept of action and reaction too well.Just sees most of his actions as a means to an end.That is until he meets Lucy and Jacob.I believe those two people,have made the most impact, since loosing his mother,on his life.He starts trying to be different,he promised.So how did it all end up like it did?

[Pegboard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darren Van Gramberg seems to understand the many adversities teenagers are facing in the school system. Adults want to ignore the pressure these kids are dealing with daily. Trauma Baby really reveals the fights in the school aren’t always black and white.
David is the main character, and we feel for him because he was with his mom when she passed away. As he tries to handle his grief and adjusts to a new family, he realizes he is being used as a pawn in a school girl’s game. He sees it for what it is but at the end was not able to avoid the snare. It is sad to see the lives ruined or ended when the book stopped, but even sadder is the ignorance of the adults who failed to make a difference when they had the opportunity. Or just assumed a child was bad when they really saw no other options when they are backed up against a wall.