A well-written story filled with the painful, intimate insights that surely only an alcoholic himself, or one who has spent significant time with alcoholics could pen. The self-deception laced with self-loathing do indeed make up the double edged sword of the addict. Butlin does an excellent job of telling this heart wrenching tale through the alcohol-hazed eyes of the addict. It is all too, too familiar for the addict and his or her family members.

This was brilliant, The writing was really good and poetic in places and really enjoyed the story of it too, being in recovery myself from the dreaded thing call Alcoholism this just entices me to never go back, would recommend it to anyone in recovery or who wants to have a truthful and harrowing read.

Butlin is extraordinary as always.

For anyone who hasn't already read this I highly recommend it and if you have already read this book I recommend a reread.

Haunting and dark yet entirely relatable even for those who haven't struggled with addiction or known someone who's struggled with addiction.

Just reading how Morris gets through his days is enough to make you never want to have a drink ever again. Butlin pulls back the curtain so the reader can peer inside the mind of a fully functioning alcoholic, and while the scene behind the curtain is not pretty at all we find ourselves unable to look away.

This book is very readable but may not be an *easy* read for everyone. I recommend taking your time to savor every little morsel.

My copy remains full of highlighted passages.

"No time. Work. Work. Biscuits."

Death pierces this magnificent 'Lost Classic' (as described by Irvine Welsh. Morris Magellan (yes the surname of the sea explorer is pertinent to the tale) is what we might in today's work place call a 'thrusting' executive at a biscuit company. But we soon see his life crumbling. Morris is an alcoholic.
We are told of an unloving father whose death does not evoke grief but a shock in Morris. A force that cuts off part of his mind which is replaced in the novella with Morris's voice. Clever use of narrative pulls us into being the voyeur of classic alcoholic traits. Memory lapses, dependence, uncontrolled language and actions soon spiral Morris out of control.
There is much use today of the term 'a functioning alcoholic' and we hear many stories of those who have sought therapy and 'recovered' although always considering themselves an alcoholic for life. When Ron Butlin wrote this book in 1987 such openness and talking therapies were not in vogue. There is a hint of the life of that classic TV series 'Reggie Perrin' evoked in the way Morris's life tries to contain the addiction in his daily life and routine but events, as Morris discovers, cannot always be ordered or eradicated simply by emptying the bottle.