First published 1982
Lonely, acne-scarred Henry Chinaski endures a bleak, loveless childhood in 1930s Germany. Adrift in the desperate days of the Great Depression, he finds refuge in the public library's D.H. Lawrence collection - and the bottle. As Henry navigates the cruelties of high school and his first steps into sex and booze, Bukowski's classic cuts to the raw realities of an outcast's stumbling journey of self-discovery.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Setting: Los Angeles (Calif.)
Period: 1930s
288 pages · Paperback · Ecco
Content warnings: alcohol-abuse, depression, substance-abuse