Saturday 29 June 2013

So Low So High by Pete Sortwell




So Low So High is the story of drug addict Simon Brewster. Simon is a complex character. He doesn't want your sympathy. He doesn't want your understanding. He just wants money for gear, right now. He is unrepentant for the crimes he commits and he has a wicked sense of humour. He detaches himself emotionally from anything that makes him feel uncomfortable and that he does not want to hear. All of these factors add up to a little bit of a tragic but at times likeable character. You almost see "good" Simon trying to get out and you root for him.

This novel may well make you uncomfortable. There is no flowery prose. The author doesn't dress anything up. It's life warts and all. Where So Low So High succeeds is that it has the stark ring of truth to it. Of course it is fiction but you wouldn't know it. That's how well done it is. It's easy to draw comparisons with Irvine Welsh here but Sortwell's novel speaks truer.

A gripping read that can't help but affect you. Read with an open mind and consider the kind of events that happen daily in modern Britain and you will appreciate So Low So High.

So Low So High is available on paperback or kindle format and published by Caffeine Nights.

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