The downward spiral.....

I just finished listening to this book and it has left me feeling thoughtful. It's a difficult book to review as I didn't particularly like Drew Thompson for most of the book, yet it's hard not to empathise with him as he travels along the road to self-destruction.

The trigger for himself, his father and his brother, was the murder of his mother when Drew was just a teenager. Each of the men coped with his agonising loss in a different way and Drew chose to drown himself in a sea of alcohol, drugs and sex. As the book begins Drew is 28, leaving his long-standing girlfriend and moving into an apartment in a rough area. He's been sacked from his job for being drunk and high, and his life seems to be spiraling out of control.

He applies for a job at a call-centre and at the interview meets Kara, a Barbie-doll type character, who gives his life some meaning, at least for a while. But just as things seem to be taking a turn for the better, he discovers that his father, Russel, is terminally ill and doesn't have long to live. While Russel is ready to return to the side of his beloved wife, Drew struggles to take this added stress on board and the cracks begin to show.

I couldn't see where the author was going with this sorry character intent on his path of self destruction, but by the end I found I was actually beginning to like Drew and respect his decisions, which was refreshing.
An interesting debut, very different from my usual reads, but worthwhile, and I'm glad I chose to request a review copy from Audiobook Boom.
(I should possibly add a bad language and explicit sex warning.)
3 1/2 stars.

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