Spoonful

Michael Lira, a decent guy with a wicked heroin habit, sees everyone getting ahead except for him and his friends, a bunch of junkies, artists and has-beens. It s the era of Clinton and the dot.com boom, and his world- the Wicker Park neighborhood of the late nineties- has become overrun with hipsters and yuppies moving in and taking over. He supports his lifestyle through petty crime and the occasional drug deal and feeds his spirit by slipping away for trysts with Lila, a...
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Michael Lira, a decent guy with a wicked heroin habit, sees everyone getting ahead except for him and his friends, a bunch of junkies, artists and has-beens. It s the era of Clinton and the dot.com boom, and his world- the Wicker Park neighborhood of the late nineties- has become overrun with hipsters and yuppies moving in and taking over. He supports his lifestyle through petty crime and the occasional drug deal and feeds his spirit by slipping away for trysts with Lila, a free-spirited painter who strips to pay the rent. Although Michael has what he needs, it s not enough. He wants to make a real move. When he meets two frat boys from Northwestern University looking to score, Michael sees his chance and takes it. He swears off dope and builds a stake, hoping to parlay it into enough cash to start a new life as a solid citizen. With the help of Sal, his partner in crime, Michael manages to pull together a bundle of money. After getting the hard sell from a shady broker, he decides to roll the dice in the stock market. Everyone else is getting rich. Why can t he? In spite of his good intentions, Michael s best-laid plans fall apart. As his life spins out of his control, he struggles against the ever-present pull towards the downward spiral of his addiction. Told with humor, irony, and colorful prose, Spoonful illuminates this little known subculture in a way readers will find absorbing, entertaining and profoundly moving."