beautiful boy: hauntingly raw & real
- paigenherbooks
- Jul 20, 2023
- 4 min read
5/5
This book.
I found it one day when I was walking and stumbled upon a free little library. Peeking inside as I always do, and when I saw the cover, which my edition has Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet, I was intrigued. I had heard of the movie but didn't know that it was based on a memoir by David Sheff. In all honesty, I'm not the biggest memoir reader, I normally don't find myself gravitating to those types of books but this one was different. I think the subject matter along with personal experiences as well as just the honesty in which Sheff writes, drew me in and kept me there. It was an amazing and beautiful book, one that made me tear up, my chest hurt and sometimes even be excessively frustrated. David Sheff's story is one that I think everyone should read and I think he went about it in a way that was not only unique but just raw. Opening his heart and life into the pages in a way that I haven't seen done in literature before.
Synopsis: In his memoir Beautiful Boy, author David Sheff poignantly describes the insidious development of his son's addiction, from alcohol and marijuana to, later, methamphetamines, cocaine, and heroin.
I don't really have any critiques of this book.
I feel as if to critique a story like this is just too personal and uncalled for, and some may disagree, that is a-okay. Me, I'm going to just talk about how much I loved it, because that's how I read it. I wasn't reading it to see if Sheff had perfect grammar or if his "plot line" was interesting enough, I really didn't care about any of the technical stuff. There simply wasn't time for it. Sheff's story brings you in like one of his own and keeps you there, telling you this story that is his life in a way that is haunting yet informational at the same time. Sheff made sure that he wasn't just telling his story, he wanted it to make a difference, and I really think it did.
There were a lot of moments that really stuck me to my core but the thing that stood out was the information ladden paragraphs that are throughout the book. David Sheff finds out his son is using hard drugs and starts a war.
A war against his addiction.
This means that as a father he's contacting literally everyone and anyone who knows anything about drugs and especially meth, Nick's drug of choice. Throughout the novel, Sheff doesn't just mention this to the reader, he lets you read exactly what he was finding. His want to tell this story is far wider than just "don't let your kids do your drugs" or the "this is my story, it can help someone". He wanted to make sure that he gave everyone reading his novel the tools and the information he learned, so hopefully, if they're going through something related or similar they have all the information that he had to go seeking, through the woods metaphorically for. It's not only a moving story of a fathers love for his son but for the love that Sheff has for people in general. He watched with horror-stricken eyes as his beautiful boy slipped through his fingers time and time again into someone he doesn't recognize. Therefore he made sure that he was fully transparent in a way that is often uncomfortable and doesn't always paint this story of hope.
Sheff's love for his son is moving, but at times his honesty is one that shocked me. Not necessarily in a bad way but in a way that was actually wickedly relatable. He shared his deepest and sometimes darkest thoughts towards his son. Not understanding how Nick could do this to their family, how he failed as father for him to end up here, as well as sometimes wishing he could have some peace from it all. It was introspective and a real rawness that people can find relatable as well as just honest. This book was just that, a truly honest reflection of what his life was like during this season, a season that he never knows if it's truly going to be over or not. I watched the movie as well and it does Sheff's story justice, while missing some key points towards the end of the book, but delivers a hauntingly beautiful story regardless. His commitment to saving his boy, to doing his absolute best to be as informed as possible and letting himself learn from others is remarkable. Everyone can get something out of his story, and I hope people do. I hope people are inspired, I hope they learn and remember the real pain, anguish, and terror that is drugs and drug addiction.
One fun night at a party can turn into a lifelong flirtation with death and agony.
Beautiful Boy was beautiful. It carved out emotions in me that I hadn't felt in a while and in a lot of ways made me reflect on past choices, people, and life moments and see them in a different light. I highly recommend and I really think everyone should give it a read or watch the movie.
David & Nic's story is one you won't forget.
here's to reading different genres and crying while you do so.
xoxo,
paige
Comments