I read A LOT of dark books, but very rarely do they actually shake me. I just read Big Sur by Jack Keuroac. Having done a lot of drugs and alcohol in the past, and having loved so many people in serious active addiction, it spoke to me on such a personal level. It took awhile to get into—maybe 50 or so pages. But once I started to understand his writing style, I was hooked. It was such an honest, realistic, raw portrayal of life in addiction. And Jack was so tender and sensitive; I just wanted to give him a hug.
After finishing the book, I was so affected by it that I tried to find other people discussing it. But pretty much everyone criticized it! Is it that the average person doesn’t have intense, personal experience with the subject matter? Am I just dumb for liking it? Lmaoo no but I would love to hear from other people who were moved by this book, or any others by him!
by Uteraz
1 Comment
I remember reading the book and not enjoying it as much as On the Road. Reading your take on it, I’m curious to go back and read it with that lens of the distorted drug view. I know inherent Vice is one of those novels as well, where you have to understand. The main character is inherently untrustworthy because they perceive things differently it sounds like Big Sur might be the same.