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5.0
out of 5 stars
A
shattering, but brutally candid portrayal of alcoholism,
December 20, 2009
Dear
Alcohol, by Sandra Lee is one of those rare books that contests
the notion you've read or seen it all.
This tight knit
narrative tells the story of a Massachusetts family living under
the siege of an abusive step father in the late 70's. The
characters are few and exceptionally well rendered: Joan, an
emotionally weak mother, her hitherto happy tween daughter,
Emily, her stalwart younger brother, Jason, Oscar the alcoholic
step father and his two offspring, a Marty, a male in his late
teens and his 15 year old daughter, Marsha. The story opens with
both families coming together to share a life of happiness but
quickly evolves into a unrelenting horror. Psychological terror,
beatings, torture, rape and animal abuse abound.
To be
fair, there are some light hearted moments, but they only serve
as foil to the undeniable carnage that prevails throughout the
narrative. The attempts by Emily and Jason to lead a normal life
is heartwarming. Its amazing how forgiving kids can be. Time and
again they bestow and renew trust to Oscar, only to have goodwill
consistently shattered.
Dear Alcohol is Ms. Lee's second
novel and shows a quantum leap in her writing. The prose is fast
paced, the dialog crisp and the events sparkle with electricity.
Too often more experienced writers overwrite and lose the reader
in details that crimp and deflate a story. In Dear Alcohol, her
journeyman novel, Ms. Lee has found the sweet spot of fluidity
and the ability to make a story breathe freely and resonate
profoundly.
Dear Alcohol is not for the weak of heart and
unless one has had similar experiences, one may doubt all this
could really happen. Perhaps that is the most disturbing part. No
one could make all this up.
JMR
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