Review: Ocean County Observer May 25, 2006

The world of addiction rehabilitation often is shrouded in mystery and secrecy, and the object of societal stigma. When a report circulates that a rock star, a Kennedy or Robert Downey Jr. is back in rehab, we are not surprised, but rather quick to judge that one of the mighty has fallen. However, when the world of John Doe comes crashing down, so too does any romantic notion of the process of rehabilitation to those who must grapple with the demons of addiction.

In "Beachglass'' (St. Martin's Press, 2006), by first-time novelist Wendy Blackburn, the reader is immersed in the day-to-day world of substance and alcohol rehabilitation, and allowed to come face-to-face with the challenges of staying sober … one day at a time … in a world filled with temptations. The book's comparisons to beach glass found along the shoreline are inevitable … with time and tide, rough edges are softened and a more resilient beauty emerges.

The story opens with the introduction of Delia, a recovering addict with 10 years of sobriety who is thrust back into the chaotic world that claimed her a decade earlier. A former Angelino, Delia has established a "normal'' life in Seattle … complete with supportive husband and adoring toddler. Until Timothy, her best friend from her rehab days, calls from Los Angeles to say he is dying of AIDS and needs her help.

What gives "Beachglass'' its credibility is that the author, a Seattle resident, has worked as a chemical-dependency counselor since 1992. So many of the pictures of addiction she presents in this novel are not obtuse caricatures but, rather, real human beings. "Beachglass'' is a cautionary tale about the dangers of resurrecting old relationships that are inextricably tied to the cessation of bad habits … a delicate balancing act that keeps even the reformed addict ever teetering on the tightrope between sobriety and addiction.

"Beachglass'' is not a "beach read'' in the classic sense; it is neither a quick read nor one that qualifies as light reading. But it steals anonymity from the face of addiction, and exposes the complex journeys of those who seek freedom and redemption from the waves of temptation found in the everyday ebb and flow of life.

by Carolynne Van Houten (Email Carolynne)

Read this review at the Ocean County Observer site