First published 1990
In dive bars and flophouses, Bukowski's aging anti-heroes drown their sorrows in a haze of cheap liquor and cigarettes. Desperate for human connection, they lash out at an indifferent world, their wry, defiant spirits clashing with the grim realities of addiction and isolation. Yet beneath the raw, raucous exterior lies a vulnerable yearning - for love, for meaning, for one last chance to get it right.
Genres: american-fiction, addiction, 20th-century, contemporary
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: anti-hero, character-study, slice-of-life
Period: 20th-Century
375 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins
Content warnings: addiction, alcohol-abuse, depression, substance-abuse