Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database. Robert ("Rob") Newman (born 7 July 1964) is a British stand-up comedian, author and political activist. In 1993 Newman and his then comedy partner David Baddiel became the first comedians to play and sell out the 12,000-seat Wembley Arena in London. He was born to a Greek Cypriot father and British mother.
Newman's first speaking appearance was with Third World First (now known as People and Planet), the student political organisation. In addition to comedy and writing, he has also worked as a paperboy in Whitwell, Hertfordshire, farmhand, warehouse-man, house-painter, teacher, mail sorter, social worker, mover, and broadcaster.
The author is a really creative and funny person (a highly successful and very humanist comedian who sold out Wembley Stadium for a comedy gig) with a very thin skin who takes criticism personally but I have to be honest (don't read any further Rob) and say this is probably the worst modern book I've ever read. It's a let-down on so many levels. It's not only about drug dependency but it reads as if the writer has been dragged into his subject. However, Robert Newman's 'The Fountain at the Centre of the Earth' is exceptional, so he can be a pretty keen and enlightened story teller when he's in the right frame of mind. I suggest you go and buy that instead because this is disappointing and the other is glorious. I was supposed to review this for The Sunday Express when it came out but I read it and just couldn't. The author is a really great bloke but it would be better if this one book had dropped off his long list of creativity because it is the clear exception.
A wonderfully dark and intricate look at the intertwined lives of lovers, drug dealers and a woman running for her life. It has Rob Newman's sharp humour throughout, but it is drama at its best. To read it is to love it.