Drug Abuse and Rehab

All about Drug Abuse and Drug Rehabilitation.
«

»

Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction

Monday, April 12th, 2010

  • ISBN13: 9780345423870
  • Condition: NEW
  • Notes: Brаחԁ Nеw frοm Publisher. Nο Remainder Mаrk.

Product Description
“Candy іѕ beside mе, drenched іח sweat. Sһе′s breathing gently, long ѕƖοw breaths. I imagine һеr soul going іח аחԁ out: lacking tο leave, lacking tο come back, lacking tο leave, lacking tο come back. Tһе day wіƖƖ soon harden іחtο wһаt wе need tο ԁο. Bυt fοr now wе һаνе each οtһеr. . . .”Hе met Candy amid a lush Sydney summer. Gοrɡеουѕ, sexy, free-spirited Candy. Tһеу fell іח Ɩіkе qυісk, lots οf laughter аחԁ lust, tһе days melting warmly іחtο each οtһеr. Hе never рƖοttеԁ tο give һеr a conundrum. Bυt ѕһе wanted a ɡο. Aחԁ wasn’t Ɩіkе, wіtһ аƖƖ, аbουt sharing lives? Candy һаԁ a bit οf money аחԁ іח tһе beginning, everything wаѕ ɡοrɡеουѕ. Heady, heroin-hazed days, tһе world open аחԁ inviting. Bυt wһеח tһе money ran o… More >>

Candy: A Novel οf Lіkе аחԁ Addiction

Related Blogs


Tags:,,,

Related posts

5 Responses to “Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction”

  1. I picked up this book to read before going to sleep one night, and wound up not stopping until I finished at 3AM. Luke Davies has written a completely absorbing tale of a spiraling journey into the night of addiction.

    I am a horror aficionado, enjoyer of the ripening decay of flesh, bone, and blood; but in Candy there is a uncommon Monster, a stealthy beast formed from powdery particles that feeds upon the very soul of man, tearing apart mind and spirit long before its teeth sink into the flesh.

    So poignantly told in first person perspective, I was so deeply went by this sad, bittersweet tale of innocent like that I was desperate to see the sun come up in the morning, though for a moment I doubted it would.

    Rarely am I as deeply went by a tale as I was by Candy, and rarer soothe is an author who can breathe such animated life into his reputation. How can I possibly care about this guy, a junkie who steals and scams allows his wife to work as a prostitute even as he nods in front of the TV all night? How can I care about Candy, who goes from aspiring actress to thousand dough a day escort to street-hooking in the projects?

    But I wound out caring a LOT, staying by them just as they stayed by each other, through all the highs and the bitter lows. Their like for each other is immense, innocent, and touching; making you believe just as they did that like can conquer all.

    The book follows approximately ten years of their lives, from high-end apartments, to projects, to a run down farm in the country; through crimes and arrests and prostitution; through like and marriage and the loss of a baby; through the languid highs and the horrors of trying to kick the conundrum; Davies makes you really feel their like, and their pain. I am not a crier, but I nearly did with Candy, the ache I felt inside was so huge and hopeless that it left me weak with sadness.

    With all the emotion spilling out from the pages, remember to prepare yourself for some rough scenes; like graphic descriptions of vein hunting and needle usage, along with a disgusting crab lice incident that nearly made me hurl.

    Plain and simple, this is a `Wow’ book; an all-nighter so well written you will feel that you just stayed up with your ancient friend, listening to him pour out his heart to you. Very highly recommended.

    Delight in!!

    Rating: 5 / 5

  2. Candy is an brilliant and compelling tale well told. The honesty is brutal and gorgeous. Being a heroin user, I found it fascinating to hear another’s tale. Although my tale is very uncommon, it was very clear to me that the author knew what he was talking about. One of the books assets is it’s tragi-comic nature, something I’ve found very right in junkie life, and rarely mentioned when discussing heroin. I suppose my only concern is a private one, in that my father read the book and presumed my life was the same, which it is not. (I’ve been a relatively excellent middle class junkie, no crime etc.) The book has been well edited. It is tight and lean. There is not a atrophied word, which makes for excellent reading. Clearly Luke Davies walks it like he talks it. A courageous book.
    Rating: 5 / 5

  3. I am a narcotics prosecutor in the US who deals with this conundrum on a daily basis. I have friends who have ruined their lives and others who seem to funtion to a point. This book is the real deal and should be read by anyone concerned with or just wants to educate themselves. If someone you care about has this conundrum, the book will not help you help them. It will give you an thought of what you are up against. There is always hope and culture is a powerful tool. I bought copies of this book and distributed it to my entire narcotics unit with the hope that compassion will coincide with enforcement.
    Rating: 5 / 5

  4. I want to start off this providing a warning to any drug addicts, especially heroin addicts, who are trying to stay clean: this book is a serious possible trigger. I speak from experience. HOWEVER, that being said, Candy is such a fantastic book that I just kept reading it, even with I realized what I hard thing it would be for me to read. It is a touching like tale really, a kink between three entities: the main reputation, his girlfriend (Candy), and heroin (probably the REAL main reputation). The tale is painfully realistic, following the co-dependent, perfectly strung out, couple through boughts of excrutiating dope sickness, running endless scams to obtain money, several sad attempts at being paid clean, and Candy’s unwanted career as a prostitute. And through Davies’ skilled writing, your bones will ache with every leg cramp the sick pair gets, your body shake with their waves of nausea; and you will feel their relief when they eventually inject the necessary cure into their tired veins, heroin. And in the end, you will find yourself wishing that their relationship will somehow mend itself, even in the face of so much evidence that their lives depend on being apart. Then, if you are like me, you will pray for a sequel–and count your blessings.
    Rating: 5 / 5

  5. This book amazed me, plain and simple. It pulls you in from the very first chapter, and doesn’t let go until the last condemn of the epilogue.

    Following the narrator and his girlfriend, Candy, you’re taken on a trip through the gripping worlds of heroin addiction, sex, mental illness, and eventually, desperation. They start off pulling scams and hocking proceeds, but more is never enough, and Candy turns to prostitution. This gradually makes a riff in their relationship, as Candy feels it’s unfair that she should be the sole provider of a reward they share similarly, and they start cooking their own heroin. (It should be noted that the process of making heroin is described in fantastic detail; Luke Davies obviously knows his stuff.)

    So believable (and likable, even) are the characters, that you find yourself rooting for them on their unrelenting quest to find a comfortable spot between sobriety and addiction even as keeping their relationship intact. Davies balances perfectly the three-way like between the narrator, Candy, and heroin.

    This book is at once darkly humorous, painful, romantic, terrifying- all those cliche words used to describe a masterpiece such as this. An absolute must read.
    Rating: 5 / 5

Leave a Reply

CommentLuv Enabled

Powered by WP Robot