I found out after reading Cherry that the book was semi-autobiographical and that Walker wrote it from prison. That makes sense. The world he describes—inside and outside his mind—feels too vivid and authentic to be pure fiction.
He was a middle-class white kid who loved drugs and booze (and women) from the start. They helped him escape his mind, which was not a happy place to reside, even though his circumstances weren’t bad. He signs up for the Army because he can’t think of anything better to do, and ends up working as a medic in the Gulf War for nearly half the book.
The portion of the book that takes place in Iraq is incredibly well done, but ultimately pointless. He tells us, point blank, that he would have become an addict with or without this experience. I believe this to be true, based on his trajectory as a kid and based on my own experience as an addict. So, this 40% or so of the book is basically a throw-in. It’s one of the best accounts of war from the perspective of a grunt I have ever seen. It felt 100% authentic and it was really worth reading in and of itself, but it doesn’t add anything to the story. It reminds me of something my editor would tell me to take out and turn into a different book.
After the war, he had many bottoms. I like this kind of addiction fiction story. Every time something awful happens, I say, “Maybe this is his jumping-off point,” but he keeps dropping lower and lower. It adds a lot of drama and makes the surrender more dramatic.
The problem with this book is that there is no surrender. In fact, there is no resolution of any kind. It’s not a problem from a literary standpoint. It’s just a problem in terms of my idea of what a good Addiction Fiction book is supposed to include. This kind of extreme, vivid, destructive addiction needs to go somewhere. Cherry doesn’t. It ends before the narrator finds one of the three possible conclusions, as often mentioned in Alcoholics Anonymous: jails, institutions or death. This was unsatisfying to me, but I understand that authors are not writing to fit my idea of what good Addiction Fiction should be. Still, I dinged him one star, as Addiction Fiction, for not
having some kind of resolution.
Walker gives his character a unique and strong narrative voice. He is an asshole and a misogynist, but he’s also funny, self-deprecating and totally honest. I didn’t mind the constant cursing, the vivid descriptions of sex acts, and the even more vivid images of drugs and
violence…but I’m sure a lot of people will. It is stuffed with humor and horror—the horrors of war, the horrors of being a drug fiend, the horrors of being in a mutually dependent and destructive relationship, the horrors of a life of crime. Cherry is not for the faint of heart.
I enjoyed it. I read it quickly and put it down reluctantly. I’ve never been a heroin junkie and I’ve never been to war, but now I feel like I pretty much understand both. That’s a big accomplishment for a book.
The Sobees Addiction Fiction Rating by Will Thatcher: 4 out of 5
ADDICTION FICTION BY WILL THATCHER: Addiction fiction is a newer genre of literature that explores the theme of addiction and recovery. These works of fiction often revolve around characters struggling with substance abuse and the emotional, physical, and psychological toll it takes on their lives. They may also delve into the complex dynamics of addiction within relationships and families. Addiction fiction typically focuses on themes of redemption, personal growth, and the journey toward recovery. By exploring these themes, addiction fiction can provide a powerful and relatable message.
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