Nick Perzacki’s Reviews > Junky > Status Update

Communism mentioned!!

It’s tough to tell how Bill feels about his own queerness, he seems to just not care, but I find his description of “fags” as opposed to other queer people fascinating.

Literally over halfway through the book, after he’s been arrested, some asshole cop reveals Bill has a wife and kids (no idea for how long or how old), didn’t see that one coming.

I appreciate that essentially every character only exists in as much as they are part of Bill’s heroin use and dealing; he cares about nothing else, or at least doesn’t care to share it with us.

It’s interesting how different groups of “outcasts/undesirables” can hold their own prejudices against one another

The book brings you quickly into the world of the addict through: frequent use of slang; matter-of-fact discussion of drug use, means of attaining it, regardless of if it’s simple pickpocketing or literal torture, and consequences, including multiple deaths; the stream-of-consciousness narration, which will frequently and suddenly jump days, weeks, or seemingly even months at a time.

A gay junky as our protagonist? Sign me up!