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Title: Walking Through Quicksand

Author: J. L. Hoyt

Narrator: Bob Dunsworth

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-07-17

Publisher: J.L. Hoyt

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Psychological

Publisher's Summary:

What goes on inside our own minds will often be our undoing....

He had not always been such a lost cause. Not long before life was consumed by the poisonous chemicals that pumped through an addict's body, he was an active participant in what was considered society; with a beautiful wife, a home, a decent career. To an outside observer, life seemed perfect. But this story isn't a happily-ever-after fairy tale. It's the darkest parts of life, an internal battle of demons and, maybe, redemption.

Members Reviews:

Addiction is Terrifying

Any additional comments?

This book won't be for everyone - it isn't a simple listen. It requires that the listener really, well, listen throughout the book. I can see ways where Hoyt could have made the book simpler and easier to follow and I know exactly why he didn't do that. Listening to the book (or reading it) was supposed to make the reader feel as confused, lost and alone as the protagonist. This book follows an addict in his downward spiral towards violence and death; it doesn't always go in chronological order.

I think this book was well crafted and it left me feeling the way the author intended - flustered and anxious. A lot of reviews said this story was told badly but I think that the readers were just experiencing exactly what the author intended and didn't like it. If you're going to listen to this book, be prepared to enter the mind of an addict, and to live uncomfortably there throughout the duration of the book. The concept is cool and the execution works! I would recommend this book to readers who like something unique, outside of the box.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

I Watched from the Other Side of the Street

This first-person account of unglamorous addiction had great potential. With a title like Walking on Quicksand, you expect darkness or bleakness, and Hoyt delivered. You get the definite almost un-washable feel of his plight, defiance, and self-loathing.

It a good story, poorly told and so there inlays the loss potential. The method of delivery left me watching everything unfold from the other side of the street. Throughout the entire tale, I remained an outsider looking in, which I suppose is indeed the experience of a drug addict but it took away from the reading/listening experience.

The first person perspective is told with third person style where the protagonist is aware of what others are thinking, often with the surety of a mind reader or some all-knowing god-like entity. Rather than the protagonist blasting his audience with his unilateral take on things and expecting unquestionable acceptance, more time could have been invested in dialogue (versus extended stretches of monolog). The protagonist could have drawn us closer to his experience, and consequently, made it easier to not only relate to him but to better empathize with and actually LIKE him.

The introduction of the female love interest was done with a bit of mystery: This sparked my interest. I found myself perking up and listening more attentively to better understand her role. In quick disappointment, her part fell flat under the weight of the narrative style. The narrative moves forward and her immeasurable potential to give the tale texture remains sadly unrealized.