Crackilton

by S.E. Tomas

Set in the lower city of Hamilton, Ontario during the global recession of the late 2000s, this novel by S.E. Tomas depicts three and a half months in the life of a seasonally unemployed carnival worker named Jim. Convenience store parking lots, crack houses, and the welfare office are among the places Jim finds himself in this gritty, darkly funny, and compassionate story about a blue-collar guy struggling with crack addiction.

200 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2015

About the author

S.E. Tomas, "Toronto's Street Author," is a Canadian writer and former carnival worker who accepts donations on the street for his autobiographical, self-published books. He is the author of Crackilton, Squeegee Kid, Crackilton One More Time, and the Carny Short Stories series. Official website: www.setomas.com

Reviews

[Paul Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crack addiction makes an ugly story

CRACKILTON is the dark and definitely gritty “fictionalized” autobiography of a short period in the life of a now straight ( and we hope permanently “recovered”) crack addict. It’s a short read and the range of emotions that you will feel is huge when you think of how few pages the story covers and how little actually happens. You will feel hope and despair, anger, disgust, regret, sorrow, compassion, confusion, and sadness. Joy is not on the menu. CRACKILTON is interesting, informative, and provocative. It is not enjoyable for even a single moment but it’s something that people in a position of healthy and financially solid privilege should take a few hours to read.

Paul Weiss

[Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of Crackilton sits at Bay & Front Streets in downtown Toronto every weekday morning during the morning rush hour. I see him almost every day, selling his book. There are signs at his booth that say "5-star rating on Amazon..." One day, I decided to check it out – I checked both Goodreads and Amazon for the ratings on this book, and while the sites gave only a handful of reviews, both sites offer glowing and authentic reviews.

So, I decided to buy the book. I approached the author at Bay & Front, and he was so excited to chat with me about the book. It was a pleasure meeting him – if you're ever in the area during the morning rush hour, I recommend you say hi and chat with him ... and buy his book.

Crackilton is not what I would call "high literature". It is told in the first person by a crack addict – the author himself is telling his story (with names and place names changed). The story is gritty, raw, and direct. It brings you into a world that most people cannot imagine and possibly aren't even aware of. It reminded me a lot of the movie "Goodfellas" – you are taken into a world that is dangerous and intriguing. You wonder how people can live like this, how they can survive like this. You sympathize with the antagonist – you are rooting for him even though, at times, what he is doing is completely immoral. You root for him to get out of his habit. You feel his pain and disappointment when he can't shake his habit. You are there with him, at his side, every step of the way along this story. You are his companion. You may not like everything he does, but he ends up feeling like a friend.

I would have liked a little bit more of a resolution before the story ended. That said, the book ends with a faint ray of hope. When I spoke with the author, he said this was intentional – that this isn't meant to be a "feel good story". This is an HONEST story, and Jim / Christine's destiny is not yet known.

At times, I wondered why Christine didn't seem to know more. Most of the times, all she would say to Jim was "Oh, OK..." The fact that she didn't speak up or stand up for herself a little more annoyed me a little bit. She seemed to be a bit too much of a doormat. Maybe she was in denial, or maybe she was too busy with her studies.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read – definitely an eye-opener for me. I recommend you buy this book to support the author – he's a recovering addict and I commend him for his brutal honesty in telling this story, and for trying to make a life for himself. I wish him and "Christine" well...

[Krista-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book from the author outside Union Station out of pure curiosity - I had seen him plenty of times before, exchanged smiles, etc and now he had a book! I was instantly intrigued. Before we parted ways, we had a great conversation and he told me that the book is a true story/depiction of his life and his battle with an addiction to crack. I was sold.

I started the book with an open mind and I was pleasantly surprised. The book occurs over one winter season and I was surprised at how many personal battles and ups and downs the author goes through in that time span. You get a real eye witness account into the struggle that addicts deal with - he wants to change, he feels remorse, but he is addicted and he struggles to change. I am looking forward to the sequels/prequels he mentioned to me were on their way because I feel invested in his story now. I want to see how things turned around for him.

One final note: the book was published independently and all revisions were made by the author and his girlfriend. I was surprised by how well written the book was and also I was surprised to have found only 3 mistakes in the whole thing (I've found more than that before in a book that came from a publishing house with multiple editors). Good job!

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tracked down the author outside Union Station after reading an article about him in the Toronto Star . It was a quick and engaging read. It's a few months view of the authors life where he is struggling with his drug addiction. Since I lost my son to addiction, I found the day to day struggle enlightening. I wish more people understood that addiction is a disease, not a choice. I also wish there were more timely services available to anyone who wants help.

Thank you for your bravery Mr Tomas in sharing your story.

If you happen to be in Toronto and you see Mr Tomas selling his books buy one or both.

[Vic Kaulback · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was a really easy read. I can relate a lot to the book, since I lived in that area of Hamilton for a while. At times throughout the book I felt frustrated. I feel like the book could have been longer. It really only depicted 4 months of his life (January-April). I was hoping to find out how his life changes once the carnival season started up.

Overall, I recommend you read his book! Especially if you live in Hamilton! Or if you live anywhere!

[Barry Bridges · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought the book from the author outside Union Station in Toronto. It was a quick read (2 days) and is an autobiographical tale of a few months in his life where habit over powers sense of reason. Overall it is a story of craving , paranoia and delusion and of how sometimes willpower just isn't enough.
If you happen to be in Toronto and you see Mr Tomas selling his wares give the guy a break and buy a book

[Nicola Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book ive ever read in my entire life , so raw and real.

LOVE THIS GUY AND HIS BOOK!!!!!!!

very very inspired by him pulling himself out of hard times.
Keep up the great work ... more books please !!!!!!

Nicola

[Jhon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book from the author outside Union station Toronto. Once I picked it up I could not put it down great story easy read I highly recommend this book.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a storyteller. Follow the seedy and believable hardscrabble life of Jim and enjoy this gifted writer. The sequel came out in July 2019 and is also excellent. Hamilton Ontario -Woohoo!

[Jane Mulkewich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because it is set in Hamilton, where I live. Apparently the author panhandles and sells his books on the street in Toronto, and is known as "Toronto's street author". This book is semi-autobiographical, about a winter in the life of an unemployed carnival worker. He has a crack addiction and is hiding it from his girlfriend, who is a university student at McMaster. It is nerve-wracking and depressing to read about the day-to-day struggles of this guy who is trying to scrape together enough money for his next hit of crack, all the while trying to stop getting caught by either the cops or his girlfriend, and keeps saying he is going to quit, but he doesn't...

[Mitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good read, and it usually takes me a few weeks to get through a couple hundred page book.... "Crackilton" was done during one weekend!
I'm from Hamilton and know the life, so the book really hit home, especially with the details of the city and the places I pass on a weekly basis.
I think S.E. Tomas is a wicked author / story teller who won't kiss a big publishers ass that wants a few words changed in exchange for cash.
I love his artistic style and can't wait to meet him in person to buy a few more books and get "Crackilton" signed. I'd advise anyone who reads this to follow him on social media and buy up his books!

[Jasmyne Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put both Crackilton and the sequel down since I received my copies.
I read both books in just a few dedicated hours, I really enjoyed both of S.E Tomas' books and I will definitely be purchasing all of his books eventually.
Excellent read, raw, gritty and at times rather humorous.
By the time I was reading the last paragraphs in the sequel, I was finding myself getting choked up because Jim turns a new leaf and finds a mustard seed of hope and that's all a person needs... Definitely will recommend to family and friends and I'll definitely be proud to add these to my book collection.
Thank you S.E Tomas ❤ I thoroughly enjoyed

[Will Yum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, set place in my home city. If you're from Ontario this a must read.

[Sydney Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read both crackilton books, squeegee kid and am getting though carny books , in a matter of days. I found the language to be easy and so relatable, there were moments where my body physically felt as the writer described himself feeling. I think the uncomplicated way he portrayed such a complicated world was great. I recommend reading all of SE Tomas’ stuff!

[Rick]

Fictional Autobiography authored by a reformed "crack" addict. Humorous voice, engaging story. While I don't think a rating would do justice, this book gives a peek into someone else's world view--one probably very different from your own.

[Lenore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting read in terms of being a part of Hamilton's culture but ultimately depressing. A short read with no real ending.

[Frank Steeves]

Honestly best book I've ever read. you won't regret it.
Buy Buy buy. honestly can't wait to read the rest and I'll let you know soon as I'm done but it's so real even you wouldn't believe it.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fun for a short, uncomplicated read. Although the whole plot revolves around crack, it does have character development in a rag tag group of crackheads

[John Caffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really a point to read this but it was kind of funny at points. Also just an easy read in general.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred Squeegee Kid as I felt that it had more going on in it. This book has a lot going on - Jim is making deliveries, working for different dealers, using, job-hunting, etc - but it seems to go into less detail than Squeegee Kid. I was hoping to get more descriptions of how Jim felt inside at different points....how he felt when he was using vs aching TO use. Sometimes, the book moved on to the next event too quickly for my liking.

I couldn't understand Christine's naivety to Jim's use. He was borrowing so much money, using in close-proximity to her, never getting a real job, lying, and many other things. Throughout the book I was waiting for her to put the pieces together, but she never did.

The book takes you on a wildly fun ride, though. Following him through a sequence of getting money, getting high, and then needing money again always had me turning the page. The ending is inconclusive, but I suppose that's why there's a follow-up book....although there should be a prequel, too!

[TJ Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75/5

This one was a bit eye opening and perspective shifting but I quite enjoyed it. The book conveys an accurate, albeit sad and depressing, depiction of the difficult and cyclical life of drug addiction in Hamilton. It’s hard not to feel empathy and compassion for the main character/author and I was glad to find out he kicked his drug habit later in life.

On a lighter note this book was still an enjoyable, short, and easy read. Sorta reminded me of an unhinged episode of Seinfeld, where nothing really happens yet everything happens. It was funnier and had more character growth than I anticipated (especially with how short it was) and I would recommend it.