How to Stop Time

A is for abhorrence, C is for coping and D is for death. In a supremely cool, intelligent and dispassionate voice, Ann Marlowe has created a mock dictionary in order to dissect her addiction - and her eventual rejection - to heroin. Each entry, varying from the anecdotal to the analytical, describes the allure and the degradation of the drug, set against the story of her own life. Without glamorising it, she explores the seduction of the drug and honestly reveals heroin's temporary deep satisfaction, before finally casting the drug aside as a failed, even abusive, lover, a negligent spouse, a one-way ultimately doomed relationship. Her journey through heroin is a compelling, cerebral tale grounded in an exploration of emotional life. Ann Marlowe's tone is ironic and searching and her alphabetical voyage provides a searing insight into the twilight world of drug addiction. A truly brave and intelligent writer.