Author(s): Damien Wilkins

Adult Fiction

Share

'Chemistryis a work of quietly cumulative power - an absorbing and morally eloquent look at the small decisions and accidents that turn each life, a book that is wonderfully funny, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and moving.' -Elizabeth Knox, author of The Vintner's LuckJamie has got a kidney stone. Great news. There'll be surgery and a few days in hospital. A few days of unparalleled access to all manner of pharmaceuticals. But when the hospital stay doesn't quite work out as planned, Jamie decides he must go somewhere he hasn't been in years - home, where his brother happens to be a chemist and his sister a doctor. Perfect. And if all else fails, his insomniac mother has plenty of valerian in her cupboards.But Jamie's family has their own set of problems. So do Sally, a young mother on the methadone program and Shane, a junkie who wakes up one morning with a tattoo covering half his face. In a desperate bid to improve their lives, Sally and Shane embark on a blackmail plot that entangles all of them. Freeing themselves isn't easy. Chemistryis about bad choices and their consequences. Funny, brilliant and dark, it moves with great force to an unexpected and eloquent conclusion.Praise for Damien Wilkins'Damien Wilkins writes brilliantly about streetwise, smart children and adults searching for love and stability far away from home.