Valkyries tells the story of a teenage girl in the ’70s who commits herself to Jesus at a tent meeting and is then immediately plunged into her family’s traumatic breakup, which results in violent abuse from her father and neglect from her mother. Finally sent away to a Catholic boarding school for girls, Tracey recognizes some hard truths about her own anger and her inability to possess inner goodness – in spite of being a Christian. She also discovers, in the course of things, an unexpected talent for basketball. All Through the Blood follows Tracey’s story as she continues her schooling and her quest for spiritual purity, despite tragic events that threaten to leave her in despair.

About the title: The Valkyrie, a female warrior from Norse mythology, is the basketball team’s mascot – but this mythological figure takes on much deeper significance for Tracey as she struggles for spiritual victory.