November 1, 2004
To what lengths should a mother go to save her child? When her 19-year-old son, Jacob, becomes a drug addict, Glennis risks her marriage to a successful lawyer and her relationship with her daughter to rescue him. She must also confront her own codependency issues, which are contributing to Jacob's problems. Glennis must learn to stop enabling her son, even if it means she might lose him forever. RITA and Gold Medallion winner Carlson (Armando's Treasure) draws a gritty, sobering picture of what drug addiction does not only to the victim but to those around him. Anyone who has ever loved someone with an addiction will hurt for Glennis. Recommended for most CF collections. Carlson resides in central Oregon.
Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from October 1, 2004
Carlson's " Crystal Lies" brings to life the horror of crystal methamphetamine addiction. Hapless Glennis Harmon, who " thought" she was a typical suburban wife and mother, wakes up one day to find her resentful teenage son, Jacob, addicted to meth, the "poor man's cocaine." In the bargain, Glennis' high-rolling husband is having an affair. Carlson's story is as much about a middle-aged woman's melancholy coping as it is about drugs, but Carlson makes the point that an addiction has ripple effects: on an indulgent mother; a self-righteous sister; and a stern, let-the-chips-fall-where-they-may father. Carlson provides no easy answers; instead, she offers a realistic portrait of addictive behavior, the trap of enabling, and the always incomplete process of recovery. " Crystal Lies " isn't as clever as Carlson's portrait of the ravages of schizophrenia, " Finding Alice" , but it's every bit as valuable for bewildered parents--and therapists. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)