REVIEW for We All Fall Down

TITLE:          We All Fall Down

AUTHOR:     Nic Sheff

GENRE:         Memoir

RATING:        4 Stars

As for me, I rated this one a solid 4 stars for a variety of reasons, starting with the writing style.

Say what you will about Nik, he can write. His style is always, always engaging and he has a naturally way of simply leading me into his life and his story, which, of course, makes me feel as though I am right there with him.

Now, for the contents itself. Firstly, it IS a memoir - which means that the story belongs to Nik and it is written according to his memory of his experiences. But let's be honest, he is an addict - trying to tell an honest story as he remembers it.

One of the issues with addiction is the sheer fact that addicts have a hard time with reality and love, love to live in denial and I think that all of his books have clearly demonstrated that.

Yes, it is a little bit of a deception to discover that Nik was writing about being in recovery when he was still using - but, on the other hand, his story is actually THE true story of an addict.

Reading these types of books is difficult, especially if you are an addict or know someone who is. I thought that Nik does a good job of showing us his road to recovery - albeit he went there kicking and screaming the whole way.

What I liked about this book is that it focuses very little on the logistics of the usage (I went to see my dealer and he gave me....) but more about his life when he is using and when he is not. More specifically, how it plays with his mind, his emotions and his views of ALL of his relationships.

It was also interesting to note that Nic never seems to come to a clear understanding (although he does touch on it a few times) about the role sex and love play in his addiction.

I am rooting for this author - unfortunately, the road to recovery is rarely linear.