The impacts of addiction on a family are explored in this hard-hitting novel. Down the Tubes by Kate Rigby is an emotive read about a family’s experience of addiction. Cheryl West is addicted to the feel of having a newborn, the attention from others, the possibility of who that child might be. After raising four children, her family is fragmented, Michael is estranged, Elaine surly during her unwanted visits, her partners no longer there. She’s now looking to form a different sense of self in a new job working with addicts. Michael is lost, running from painful childhood trauma and abuse and hitting rock bottom with a drug addiction. The readers gain insight into the character’s dynamics as we follow them on their respective journeys. This is a hard-hitting novel dealing with human vulnerability, abuse, conflict and the toils of addiction. The author is using her own experience of working in the field and it is clear in the way the story and the characters are brought to life. However, knowing this the sad air of hopelessness even while at the rehab centre becomes even more poignant. This is an emotive look into family dysfunction and addiction. The characters are all humanly flawed, I found myself empathising with and raging at them in turn. It's a powerful if gut-wrenching read.
A hard-hitting novel based on the author's experience of working in the field of addictions. It's the late 1980s, andmother of four, Cheryl West, lands herself a job at a drugs project in London. But memories of her old life are never far away, especially when her surly daughter, Elaine, makes her unwelcome visits. Meanwhile, Cheryl's estranged son, Michael aka Dodo - is ironically having his life destroyed by drug addiction in his attempt to avoid painful memories of abuse. He goes from one chaotic situation to another, ending up on the streets and reaching rock bottom, until he is referred to a drug rehabilitation centre in rural Hampshire where dark family secrets are uncovered. They're each on a journey, but can there be reconciliation as well as rehabilitation? This is a standalone book, but it has a recent sequel.
