Book review : Requiem For A Dream

Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So I stumbled across Requiem For A Dream purely by chance, and thought 'it's a bit different from what I normally read, but hey, lets mix it up.' Books about addiction and social psychology (as much as it interests me) and chasing dreams are not the kind of thing that occupies my self space, (paranormal stuff and vampires, are a different story, pardon the pun).

I read loads of reviews saying that this is a book that will stay with you long after you read it, and in my experience, that is a load of rubbish; but this time, people were so right. Once you get past the distinct lack of punctuation, (namely speech marks), and how it's mostly written in New York dialect and slang, the world and characters that are created are so real and believable. You really get inside their head and can understand their need and thought processes as to why that next fix is so important to them. I think it's important to point out that this book is about more than addictions and the affect they have on everyday life. Requiem For A Dream is very much a book about the lengths that people will go to, in an attempt to achieve their dreams and change their life.

This book also looks at the consequences of the heroin and diet pill addictions that plague the main characters of this book; the psychological toll it takes on the individual. You also get a glimpse at the end of the book at how unjust the medical/psychiatric system was the time. I genuinely felt for the characters in this book, felt their pain and struggle, and also felt sorry for how they were judged by others and how this just adds fuel the the already burning fire, and drags them further into their problems.

As a reader, you're on the outside looking in at these peoples lives, and I get it now; after reading this, I get how people can end up on this downward spiral in life. Requiem For A Dream is one of those books that you have to read at least once in your life. This book really does get under your skin and stays with you, there's something almost haunting about it. Read this book.

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