sorry, I completely forgot!!

--Quotages---

First I have to start off by saying that I really like his imagery and metaphors. They are very realistic and they are just perfect for painting the perfect scene of what he has in mind. That is the first thing that I really noticed about his writing and so far it is something that is keeping me interesting. Because not only does he have a good story going, but he is telling it in a way in which you can understand--even imagine yourself in his shoes. It is just truly fabulous.

Example of Good Times: Summer and Love

Pg. 3
“Candy’s just discovered smack and I’ve just discovered she’s got a bit of money.”
That just kind of struck me as odd. I mean I know the book is about the girl.. Obviously with her being the title, but when I read the line, it makes me really question if he initially stayed with her because she had money to buy the heroin with.

Example of Bad Times: Sugar and Blood

Pg. 4
“The little joys are pebbles. The pebbles are getting smaller and smaller…”
Perfect example of his imagery and metaphor tied into one. Just the fact that he used pebbles which are obviously small rocks, giving you an idea of just how small the joys are, but the fact that pebbles can be found in different sizes. And then he goes into talking about sand. He really has set up his imagery/metaphors up perfectly. I just love it.

Pg. 4
“Once every year or two, these things seem to happen. It’s probably just a coming together of circumstances, like the way an eclipse occurs and it seems to be a message, that slide into darkness.”
Again, I like the imagery and metaphor in this. Turning the end of a heroin streak into an eclipse.

Pg. 5
“Surely half of seven people’s dope, even if it’s a rip-off, should be enough to hold me. And then tomorrow, maybe, good times will come back.”
I pulled this quote, because I thought it was sad that the good times were only when he was on the drug. Drug addiction is just so depressing in that aspect. I think he hit straight on when he said that.

*Note about the Prologue. I thought it was absolutely amazing to see his good times comparably smaller and less frequent than his bad times. I thought that was very realistic. I also liked how the only time he was happy was when he was on the ‘smack’ and he was so in love. But the moment that he isn’t anymore, he realizes that his life sucks a whole bunch of ass.

Part One: Invincibility

Crop Failure

Pg. 11
“The horizon is always up there ahead, unfolding toward you, and at first you don’t notice the gradual descent, or the way the atmosphere thickens. Bit by bit the gradient gets steeper, and before you realize you have no brakes, you’re going pretty fucking fast.”
Again, what an empowering and realistic metaphor. And one that relates to the reader. That is the exact thing that I learned in my creative writing class. You have to appeal to your audience, relate. And I think that that passage does just that.

Pg. 12
“But it was pretty pure, because three or four times a year it came into the country in condoms up T-Bar’s arse.”
Yeah I just thought that this was amazing. I mean come on. That is pretty fucking intense if you think about it and I know I never thought about how people smuggle in drugs.

Pg. 13
“Or maybe we could stay in Sydney and go back to hanging around with my old friends, my pot-smoking friends who held down jobs and went out on the weekends and seemed to enjoy their lives.”
I just thought that it was interesting that his idea of a better lifestyle still included people that did drugs. And I know that weed isn’t nearly as bad a heroine, but still, none of the people that he was friends with were clean.

Pg. 15
“I went to the toilet and fond a cubicle with a lock that worked and had a nice blast to celebrate.”
That right there is the perfect way for someone to celebrate a deal involving becoming clean. Top off with another hit of the drug. But it seems to be a true representation of how a druggie would think. It makes me wonder if the author has experience in the material.

Pg. 25
“She’d come back from her drying out, a newly clean Candy, keen for a one-off reward blast, and then things kind of just kept going, the way they do. Pretty soon she was back into the swing of it.”
Again, I think that is a good representation of the shit that they have gotten themselves into. But it makes you wonder that if she decided to
celebrate with a hit, did she honestly expect herself to not do it again. And what about that week where she went through pure hell to stop?
That was apparently for nothing.. So was it honestly worth it?

Pg 37.
"We decided it was time for Candy to try and get pregnant soon. I'd always liked books, so I was going to start looking for a job in a bookstore." Yeah. Cuz that is so going to work well. For starters, two heroine addicts can't get off of it by themselves. Especially them. They have no motivation. Having a job and a child seems to be their attempt at motivation, but when you talk about bringing someone else's life into your scheme.. the outcome just has to be bad. There is no way that their plan would work.

Alright. Later I'll post like my thoughts on the chapters as a whole.

Sorry that is was so long.

I didn't get any quotes yet. Maybe later.

I agree with his imagery. It's like being in Sydney...when I'm not.

I thought it was kind of good that the little pot patch didn't turn out with...good pot? Yeah. It should be like a little awakening or something, though, at the rate of everything, I don't think it will.

I'm not to sure what to think about how the narrator (Dan? It says that on Wiki, but I don't remember it ever being mentioned.) allowing Candy to partake in her profession without feeling weird. He says he doesn't feel uncomfortable...I'm not sure, I think that might be a lie.

Oh, I just want to reach out to them all and check them into rehab. Though, I thought it was good that Lucy did- it might be a little wake up call for everyone else.

yay! Someone to discuss it with!

I think I agree with the narrator, I don't think there were actually an infestation. I think that was the easiest way for the dude to dismiss him.

In all honesty, I think he is justifying not feeling uncomfortable about it with the fact that now they can buy more heroin. I think that is the only reason why he seems not to be bothered.

Yeah. You can't help buy feel sorry for them. They are in this vicious cycle of realizing what they want when they are on the drug versus what it actually comes down to when they are trying not to be on it.

i'm trying to catch up, i've only read to week two so far and this week is finals, so hopefully after that i can catch up.

but as far as everything, i do like his take on writing this story. does anyone know if the author was an addict before? he seems to understand how addicts think, the wanting all the time of the drug.