Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction
Luke Davies
 As with the movie version the book is broken down into three sections, excluding the prologue and epilogue. Part one: Invincibility, Part two: The Kingdom of Momentum, Part three: The Momentum of Change. In the beginning everything seems perfect for the unnamed narrator and Candy,(the girl and the drug), things are new and exciting. Of course in both relationships and addiction things do not remain so perfect or beautiful. Candy is introduced to heroin very gradually by snorting it, but soon she decides she wants to try it his way. This excites him as he believes it means she doesn't want "second best" and they truly are "soul mates". She nearly dies of an overdose but it does not prevent Candy from wanting to do more and more. Eventually the hunger leads to horrible choices to feed the addiction. When they try to get money by pawning a necklace Candy is offered a very small amount, but the pawnbroker thinks they can " work something out". She has sex with him for a pitiful sum. An action that is regretted by the narrator but he also knows they have held off the demons of withdrawal another day. From there brothel work, escort, and finally street prostitution become part of daily life. They try to get clean several times and Candy does in fact get detoxed early in the story but that lasts a very short time. After their attempts they "reward" themselves with a "blast", figuring it isn't really a bad idea after how far they have come. In one of their attempts to achieve normal lives they get married and it is in the narrators words "Obviously it was a big dope weekend. You want to be relaxed at your own wedding" They really do seem to love each other but is it only an illusion of heroin is the big question. They continue on their path of disaster through very high ups and extremely low downs. An unexpected pregnancy gives them a reason to get clean but they fail yet again and Candy prematurely delivers a baby boy who lives only seconds. Soon after Candy is tired of earning all the money while they share all the dope, and the narrator feels like he is less of a man for allowing her to do what she does to make the money. When a friend Candy knew in the past comes back from the US they feel as if their prayers have been answered. Casper is a chemistry genius and makes his own "Yellow Jesus". He is convinced to sell the recipe and give cooking lessons. Suddenly Candy only has to work when they need the cash for chemicals and equipment, and the narrator can keep them in all the heroin they need with extra to sell. There are a few disasters including a watered batch, and a fellow user with worse veins than the narrator spraying blood around the flat when his detachable head syringe blows off after he pierces his carotid artery trying to shoot up. Finally they decide to give methadone a try and things start to look better, for a while anyway. They move to the country thinking another fresh start is what they need but it goes very wrong. They begin fighting more and Candy begins acting strange. After she has an affair with a neighbor who deals pot, things fall apart. The narrator leaves and stays with an old friend who he angers, being kicked out after two days. He begins his own affair but is soon called by Candy's father. Candy has had a full nervous breakdown and is hospitalised. He makes his way home to find a very changed and very delusional Candy. After she is released they try one more time but he breaks the rules after running into Casper. Candy leaves him and shortly after Casper is caught making heroin. His employer sends him to rehab but Casper leaves, knowing it is the end of his career if he does. He gets anti-depressants, alcohol, goes to his lab and cooks one last batch, committing suicide. The narrator goes into rehab and gets sober. He sees Candy the first chance he is allowed and she tells him she knows they have to end. They have to stay apart to be clean.