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A review by motherhorror
All Smoke Rises: Milk-Blood Redux by Mark Matthews
5.0
Let it be known that ALL SMOKE RISES by Mark Matthews is the book that ushered in a new infatuation with "Junkie Horror".
I've always been afraid of illicit drug use.
Back in high school, I hung out with a bunch of skater/stoner boys who mostly only smoked weed but occasionally, I'd find myself at a party or something where kids were experimenting with hardcore stuff and it freaked me out.
It's always been a hard pass for me.
Movies like TRAINSPOTTING or REQUIEM FOR A DREAM scare me to death. The disturbing images lingering in my brain long after viewing--making me feel dirty and hungover.
This book is the epitome of "Junkie Horror" and how dangerously disturbing it can be. I loved the experimental nature of first reading a narrative in the second person, "You do this; you see that."
And then transitioning into the "found footage/files" narrative. Matthews made a bold choice and it pays off in spades. He's skilled enough to execute it perfectly. This story is powerfully immersive--I simultaneously loved and hated how close Matthews draws the reader into the lives of his f*cked up characters.
And they are truly f*cked up.
I found myself wanting to look away but seriously, the story is way too compelling for that. I had to know what happens.
You know how you find yourself reading a news article or watching a true crime story on TV about druggies and tweakers and you're just blown away by how messed up it all is? People living in squalor, their lives in utter ruin? And you feel the sorriest for the children--the poor kids who are born into chaos and drug abuse. It's gut-wrenching. Your mom heart just wants to rescue them all and give them a clean place to rest their heads and help them to unsee all the horrible things they must have witnessed that no child should have to experience.
This book is THAT.
The stories of what happens to the children who have been given no choice but to be raised by junkies--parents who have one priority and that's the next hit.
Matthews also adds a strange and unique paranormal quality that really toys with your sense of what is real and what are the ramblings and experiences of delusional, drug-addled brains.
This book grips you until it's ready to let go--thank goodness it's not too long! Ha!
I will definitely be reading more by this author. Lots of trigger warnings here so read with caution.
I've always been afraid of illicit drug use.
Back in high school, I hung out with a bunch of skater/stoner boys who mostly only smoked weed but occasionally, I'd find myself at a party or something where kids were experimenting with hardcore stuff and it freaked me out.
It's always been a hard pass for me.
Movies like TRAINSPOTTING or REQUIEM FOR A DREAM scare me to death. The disturbing images lingering in my brain long after viewing--making me feel dirty and hungover.
This book is the epitome of "Junkie Horror" and how dangerously disturbing it can be. I loved the experimental nature of first reading a narrative in the second person, "You do this; you see that."
And then transitioning into the "found footage/files" narrative. Matthews made a bold choice and it pays off in spades. He's skilled enough to execute it perfectly. This story is powerfully immersive--I simultaneously loved and hated how close Matthews draws the reader into the lives of his f*cked up characters.
And they are truly f*cked up.
I found myself wanting to look away but seriously, the story is way too compelling for that. I had to know what happens.
You know how you find yourself reading a news article or watching a true crime story on TV about druggies and tweakers and you're just blown away by how messed up it all is? People living in squalor, their lives in utter ruin? And you feel the sorriest for the children--the poor kids who are born into chaos and drug abuse. It's gut-wrenching. Your mom heart just wants to rescue them all and give them a clean place to rest their heads and help them to unsee all the horrible things they must have witnessed that no child should have to experience.
This book is THAT.
The stories of what happens to the children who have been given no choice but to be raised by junkies--parents who have one priority and that's the next hit.
Matthews also adds a strange and unique paranormal quality that really toys with your sense of what is real and what are the ramblings and experiences of delusional, drug-addled brains.
This book grips you until it's ready to let go--thank goodness it's not too long! Ha!
I will definitely be reading more by this author. Lots of trigger warnings here so read with caution.