Under The Volcano

This is a remarkable book. A true work of art, like a cross between Ulysses and The Waste Land. The intensity of imagery, the sense of place, the power in the relationships between the characters, that was actually handled quite lightly - not very much explanatory dialog, so much going unsaid. The writing in those scenes where the characters are getting drunk - especially on mescal - is effective and lyrical, really taking the reader on the journey of elation and despair, sharp details impinging on general confusion. The fact that this took over a decade to write (and rewrite) is also astonishing given the overall integrity of the story and its very tight timeframe - essentially a single day. It’s pretty bleak, and as a study of addiction, and the way in which an addict betrays both themselves and those around them, hard to think of an equal.