CRACK by D E McCluskey

4/5 stars

A mesmerizing tale of addiction through the eyes of a man who just can’t help himself, CRACK will keep you on your toes from start to finish! Told by the most unreliable narrator I’ve ever read, CRACK follows Joe’s descent into madness after an accident breaks something inside him, and his life is forever changed.

Wow….this one was a doozy! I loved how unreliable Joe was throughout the story. There were times that I didn’t realize something was a dream until most of the way into the scene, and it had me questioning the book’s reality until I clued in. That’s such a fun mechanic for a book, and I don’t see unreliable narrators used as effectively as Joe was very often.  It really made CRACK something special.

Let’s talk Paula. I’m extremely sad for how her story ended, but I also loved it as a plot point. Sometimes, the villains win, especially in real life, and I loved the use of that element in Paula’s story even though it was really upsetting. It really emphasized that it doesn’t matter how hard you struggle and fight; sometimes, it can’t be helped. My heart goes out to Ian for never knowing what happened; that would be a really tough situation. I am really curious how Joe’s story plays out, though, and what eventually ends up happening to him. CRACK 2? RE-CRACK? THE CRACK COMES BACK? THE CRACKENING?

Ok, I’ll stop now! Anyway, I enjoyed this one a lot. There were parts where the subject was really hard for me to read, but it really highlighted how unstable Joe was becoming. He really grew over the course of the story, and I loved his character development so much! If you take nothing else away from this, remember: Once you CRACK, you don’t come back!

Mr. McCluskey….you’ve done it again! Hat’s off to you, sir!