Roxy

Having read a few of Neal Shusterman’s books already, I knew that he isn’t one to shy away from serious topics. In this novel he and his son Jarrod Shusterman tackle addiction in a way I have not seen before. „Roxy“ is set a couple of years after the pandemic and tells the story of Roxy (Oxycontin) and Addison (Adderall), two prescription drugs who make a bet: The one who succeeds in putting their mark over the edge first wins. Said marks are siblings Ivy and Isaac Ramey, one of whom takes medication for their ADD and the other one just suffered a sports injury. In my teens, I read my fair share of novels about drugs, but never one quite like this. I am not going to lie, the fact that the story is told from the POV of said drugs intrigued me. Roughly 20 substances – ranging from nicotine and alcohol over various prescription drugs to heroin – are mentioned in this book. Some of them even get to narrate a chapter, which I found really interesting. The book doesn’t tell you in detail how most of the drugs work, but gives you a rough enough idea to make you adequately uneasy. It also shows all the things that come with being addicted – highs, cravings, withdrawals and overdoses. As someone who’s never been addicted to illegal substances or prescription drugs, I found this book to be quite insightful, educational and definitely scaring – so I’d say the Shustermans achived what they intended. However, if you do struggle with addiction, this book might be triggering to you. Just be aware of that before getting into it. Also, shoutout to whoever designed the cover of this book. It is gorgeous AND refers to what’s going on within its pages – both the cover art and the way the title is stylized are spot on. Have you ever wondered what drugs would say if they could talk? Well, this book gives you all the answers to questions you never asked. If you enjoy unique POVs, are looking to learn more about the topic and addiction isn’t a trigger for you, you should definitely read „Roxy“.