Ray Shell

Iced is the harrowing tale of Cornelius Washington and his plunge to the rock bottom. Cornelius is born into a loving, albeit strict family and has both the brains and aptitude to excel in life. A family tragedy lays the foundation for his ultimate descent. While the character is obviously a drug abuser; he has an addictive personality (putting it mildly) but his drug consumption (like most) is a means to an end(escapism). While reading the book I was not sure if drugs were the real problem or the character's inability or unwillingness to confront his shortcomings. There are times when the character is able to stop or manage his drug intake, but as soon as he is faced with a life change or a painful remembrance he plunges headfirst into a crack fueled binge. The more he tries to avoid his circumstances/recollections, the more he exacerbates his problems.

This is a great, if hard to stomach at points, read. The writing is fast paced and keeps your eyes glued the whole time; the reader might land up taking breaks as there are numerous "heavy" scenes in the book that are a lot to process. The story raises the numerous questions about addiction and responsibility; you cannot help at points but feel for the character, but at the books conclusion, all the tragedy that befalls him and those around him are his own doing. A close friend of his, Pia, advises him to shape up or kill himself; harsh words but what he needs to hear. Unfortunately for those around him, he does neither.… (mer)