David J. Holleman explores the deleterious effects of heroin in his thriller, Blue Baja,
through his flawed protagonist, Euthel “Buzz” Brewer who is taken on a
journey from the top of the world to the underbelly of society. Brewer
is a successful physician, living a peaceful suburban life with an
idyllic marriage and young child until a chain of events lead to great
tragedy, leaving him poorly emotionally equipped to deal with his grief.
He leaves his old life and memories behind, fleeing to Mexico, where
he falls deep into the clutches of heroin.
His life, once successful and happy, is spent in a state of delirium among other drug addicts; “The days were all the same with everyone locked in their own world, search for a personal nepenthe in the white powder.” Although he questions how he could have allowed himself to become what he is, Brewer quickly dispels any thoughts of his own weaknesses of failures; “Why ponder on it, when there was always surcease in the needle?” Brewer becomes the classic portrait of a heroin addict, unkempt, with poor hygiene, and a body that is wasted away and covered in needle marks. Brewer is eventually driven to the brink of sanity, attempting to take his own life in an amphetamine fuelled delusion.
3.8 million Americans have tried heroin at some point in their lives and we increasingly see people turning to hard drugs, destroying many lives throughout the world. Holleman’s evocative portrayal of Buzz Brewer’s plummet from successful doctor and family man to a depraved addict who attempts suicide uses fiction to treat one of the nation’s greatest tragedies that, as a result of its “behind-closed doors” occurrence is largely ignored, adding to the many themes, topics, and societal ills that make Blue Baja incredibly powerful and shocking.
His life, once successful and happy, is spent in a state of delirium among other drug addicts; “The days were all the same with everyone locked in their own world, search for a personal nepenthe in the white powder.” Although he questions how he could have allowed himself to become what he is, Brewer quickly dispels any thoughts of his own weaknesses of failures; “Why ponder on it, when there was always surcease in the needle?” Brewer becomes the classic portrait of a heroin addict, unkempt, with poor hygiene, and a body that is wasted away and covered in needle marks. Brewer is eventually driven to the brink of sanity, attempting to take his own life in an amphetamine fuelled delusion.
3.8 million Americans have tried heroin at some point in their lives and we increasingly see people turning to hard drugs, destroying many lives throughout the world. Holleman’s evocative portrayal of Buzz Brewer’s plummet from successful doctor and family man to a depraved addict who attempts suicide uses fiction to treat one of the nation’s greatest tragedies that, as a result of its “behind-closed doors” occurrence is largely ignored, adding to the many themes, topics, and societal ills that make Blue Baja incredibly powerful and shocking.
Contact: David Holleman - hollemand@yahoo.com
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