Gabriel Jones is a man nearing 30 years of age and existing on life's lowest rung of the ladder. He once had it all. The love of a beautiful girl whom he loved wholly in return, a bright future looming before the two of them. But then he threw it all away for moments of lust. This book is written as a kind of confession with Gabriel telling of his life past and present. It's not a straight forward journey from A to B as we get the current interspersed with the major events in Gabriel's life that have led him to his current state of passing the time until he can afford another visit to Hope, a £150 an hour prostitute. These events are brought slowly to light while our narrator works up the courage to provide the gory details. A lot of this book deals with some quite unpleasant moments and the blows, when they come, hit home unerringly and hard.

If you want a linear plot or a light and fluffy read then this is not a book for you. If you don't mind a dark and broody look at the male psyche with graphically depicted acts of sex and pornography that is beautifully written then this book might just fit the bill. ( )