Iced - Softcover

Shell, Ray

4.17

277 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140249249 ISBN 13: 9780140249248

Publisher: Penguin Group USA, 1995

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Takes the form of a diary written by Cornelius, a black American hooked on crack. The diary charts both his grim present and the upheavals of his past - during his life he has moved from New York to Boston and then back via North Carolina, encountering a host of exciting and terrifying characters.

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From the Author:

i really appreciate your carrying my book on your list
I would really like to hear from readers of my first novel Iced. I've just got access to the net so this is very new to me.

From the Back Cover:

This extraordinary, immensely powerful debut novel takes the form of a diary written by Cornelius Washington – a forty-four-year-old crack addict. The diary, a rhythmic and gripping stream of consciousness, charts both the harsh realities of Cornelius's grim present and the upheavals and excitements of his colourful past.

In his earlier years, Cornelius moves up and down America's eastern states, encountering a host of startling, enlightening and sometimes terrifying characters along the way: voluptuous, motherly Maggie, loving generous Pia, confused and abused casualty of life Quentin, viscous, street-wise Spartacus. Initially brimming with talent and ambition, he dabbles with drugs as a young man before gradually becoming hooked. Little by little, Cornelius edges ever closer to becoming what he most fears – a 'Vampire Zombie', one of the lost dead souls at the end of the addiction line...

'Iced' is at once a shocking account of the addicts life, and a compelling and often uplifting tale of human love and loss.

"The book is a powerhouse, Ray Shell writes beautifully. The story is heartbreaking, I kept putting it down and picking it up again – it won't let me go."
MAYA ANGELOU

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