"...merely shadows with a flashing outline."

Any additional comments?

Not the book I expected it to be.
From the excellent title, Walking Through Quicksand, and the brief introductory blurb, I had thought this to.be the tale of one man's descent as he pursues a drugs career until, finally, admitting defeat, he struggles to regain his life. I even had hopes that it could illustrate that the use of drugs, and losing control of their taking, is not simply confined to the dregs of society, intent only on robbery or prostitution to fund their next fix. I was wrong.

The story starts reasonably well, with our 'hero' waking, near oblivious to time and surroundings, and making his way to the one place and person he knows he can trust. Then, not for the first time, he walks away, not yet prepared to face himself without his chemical crutches. A bit self indulgent and OTT, but it did give a taste of what might be inside the head of a man gone into self flagellation over the course his life has taken.

But it's all down hill after that. A seemingly silly story of how he became addicted initially, what happened next and the final launch into fantasy world regression and revenge. No, sorry, no sympathy whatsoever for this miserable specimen who stuffs himself full of drugs then blames the dealer. I know of several, real life destructive drug stories far more tragic in their origins and progress and not one has been one tenth as winging, self pitying and downright unpleasant as him.

However, this is fiction. It was a great idea. The narrator was splendid, with the slowed, not quite slurred, speech of someone using downers and was even convincing in his descent into the madness in his mind. Apart from a single other voice near the beginning, all is from the one character's imagination and Mr.Dunsworth assumes this personality well, reflecting it in his reading. In fact, it was his performance which carried me through to the end of the book.
My thanks to the rights holder for gifting me my copy of Walking Through Quicksand, via Audiobook Boom. To get inside the head of an addict was a splendid idea but this was just too contrived to have a sense of reality and I did struggle to listen through to the end.
A book I could only recommend people to avoid.

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