A review by camerontrost
Cocaine Nights by J.G. Ballard

4.0

An original novel in which Ballard explores his pet theme of the bourgeoisie seeking an escape from their boring, meaningless lives. I suspect one might have to belong to the middle class to truly appreciate much of Ballard's work. Nevertheless, I tried to put myself in his characters' handmade Italian shoes. The setting and characters are twisted and engaging, and Ballard's trademark near-future atmosphere is palpable. On the other hand, his prose is a little awkward in places, and there are a number of bizarre similes, but this is much more readable than The Atrocity Exhibition, for example. The mystery aspect to the story is quite good, somewhat noirish, although the ending is predictable, which is inevitable considering the theme. 3.5 stars