by Bill Clegg
First published 2010
Bill Clegg walks away from his successful literary agency, his partner, and his carefully constructed life. Nine months out of rehab, he begins using crack cocaine again. The drug pulls him into a secret world of paranoia and terror punctuated by moments of intense euphoria. Scene by scene, his two-month binge strips away his home, his money, his career, and nearly his life. Clegg moves through hotel rooms and crack houses, chasing the bliss that becomes increasingly elusive as doom takes over. He traces the patterns of his addiction back through his past, searching for understanding without excuses. The narrative captures both the magnetic pull of the drug and the complete destruction it brings. This is the story of an exceptional mind choosing to disappear and the brutal honesty required to find a way back.
Genres: literary-fiction, addiction, contemporary, biography-memoir
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: redemption, self-discovery
240 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: addiction, drug-use, substance-abuse