BOOK REVIEW:
It is terrifying what stories the mind can come up with. It
is even more frightening when you are writing about people
you know in real-life.
And
we are not even talking about those warm and fuzzy life-inspiring
autobiographies here.
For
a book that was written in 1977, and was probably the confusing
madness that author Philip K. Dick’s personal friend
went through before dying from drug misuse. This mishmash
of losing the mind is vividly described in the book’s
seemingly easy-to-understand prose.
The
story narrates the life of Fred, who leads a perplexing double
life. The addictive Substance D has made this poor man switch
his life between that of a righteous narcotics agent and a
seedy drug dealer named Bob Arcter. Such is the irony of life,
we laughed upon reading the synopsis.
However,
this book is definitely not a simple read as you’d have
imagined. Though written in simple language, it is emotionally
draining, as you’d have to know which character is speaking
at which point. And the darkness and downward spiral of the
human mind does not help to make your reading experience any
easier.
There
are also a few other side plots and minor characters which
only help to mess up your already baffled mind. At the end
of the day, you wonder whether any of these roles play any
significance to the story at all. Also, a disastrous side
effect may cause you to wonder whether the people around you
really exist. Now, that is one scary thought.
Somehow,
the day when this reviewer was reading this book seemed darker
than usual.
While
we may never have the chance to see Richard Linklater’s
animated thriller movie version of this novel in theatres
here, we are continuing to toy with the thought of what seeing
an animated Keanu Reeves (playing the story’s schizoid)
will do to our own minds.
CHOICE XCERPT:
“But in this dark world where he now dwelt, ugly things
and surprising things and once in a long while a tiny wondrous
things spilled out at him constantly; he could count on nothing.
Like the deliberate, evil damage to his Altec cephalochromoscope,
around which he had built the pleasure part of his schedule,
the segment of the day in which they all relaxed and got mellow.
For someone to damage that made no sense, viewed rationally.
But not much among these long dark evening shadows here was
truly rational, at least in the strict sense. The enigmatic
act could have been done by anyone for almost any reason.”
VERDICT:
A disturbing read that you should attempt only if you are
willing to charge to the depths of a warped story. However,
the Author’s Note at the back of the book does close
the novel nicely with an emotional write-up of events that
influenced Dick to come up with this story.
Review
by John Li
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