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Dopefiend is as harrowing and grimy as its name and reputation imply; it’s also a really good book, full of believable detail and nihilistic realism. It’s about addicts and the people who exploit them, about the descent into single-mindedness that comes with heroin addiction. The opening chapter serves as a litmus test to see if you’re up for the hellish sights contained within: a blow by blow description of the denizens of a dope house, nodding off, shooting up, searching for veins, sharing needles, squirting futile blood in their desperation. The main characters are a young man and woman, the latter from a comfortable middle class Detroit background but dragged into addiction by her boyfriend. They do whatever it takes to get their next fix, which makes for some exhilarating scenes involving various crimes. The third lead is a remorseless and truly evil dealer with a cruel fetish. Dopefiend flaunts its taboo-breaking at every turn, in support of its thesis about how dire and hopeless the world of addiction can be. It goes without saying this book is not for the faint of heart, especially if you’re triggered by� well, pretty much anything. It has two of the grossest scenes I’ve read in anything. But if you’re brave, check it out; Dopefiend is an excellent read.