Ages ago, Dan ,who has been receiving a lot of airplay between Lance and me on WDTID in recent times, (!!!!) tagged me to participate in a novel idea (I will never apologise for a good pun..) regarding the book on top of your bookpile.
Okay, so I have read some peoples’ responses…
“I don’t have a bookpile..”
In that case, grab the first book in your bookshelf whilst your eyes are closed.
The mandate: pick up a book, turn to page 123, read the first five sentences, then post the next three sentences.
The book on top of my nightstand bookpile ( I purposely abolish anything “D” related) is written by a reformed heroin addict, an extraordinarily talented author who is responsible for the successful publication of three novels.
I bring you none other than Luke Davies.
~Luke Davies~
He worked on a screenplay based on the book for many years with the acclaimed director of film, theatre and opera, Neil Armfield. It is the most tragic, raw and compelling love story I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It was his passion to bring this cult sensation to the screen, that passion was so intense and he captured the doom of addiction so well, it won him an AFI award for Best Screenplay. ( AFI awards are our meagre equivilent to the Academy Awards.)
Due to the intensity of the real life horror concerning addiction, experienced and witnessed by Luke who spent many years as a fully fledged heroin addict struggling to keep himself from spiralling into the dank and desperate streets of Sydney’s Red Light District, Australian A Listers flocked to be cast as the main players.
The casting was nothing short of pure perfection, the late Heath Ledger as the Leading Male and Abbie Cornish as the leading female..and an offbeat and eccentric Geoffery Rush was the cherry on top of the most amazing, alluring banana split you would ever have the pleasure of consuming, due to his very left of centre and slightly manic interpretation of a middle class, drug addled, gay pharmacist.
This work of Heaven, Earth and Hell is entitled Candy. (I received this book for Christmas in 2006, after passionately declaring to anyone who would listen that the film adaptation was my best cinematic experience of the year.)
~Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish~
So, after turning to Page 123, and reading the first five sentences, I arrive at the three to be posted.
“The world feels fine.
When you’ve been hanging out and you have a hit and get that relief then at last you can think about things like breakfast. A chocolate milk and a jam donut. “
What a shame that those sentences don’t really capture a lot of intrigue…I was hoping that I would be lucky enough to inspire at least one person to rent the film or buy the book. (The book is much, much better and frighteningly more “real” than the movie.)
So there we have it. Very belated, but completed all the same.
Candy. By Luke Davies.
Expertly maps the constricted corridor of love and addiction…a stunning novel.
