Part memoir, part enlightened reflection on addiction, Dystopia plunges into the black hole of substance abuse, brilliantly tracking Siddall's often darkly humorous journey of near ruin, as a homeless addict and alcoholic. Eventually, faced with a court order sentencing him to a two-year rehab incarceration, it traces Siddall's day-by-day sobering return to hard-fought sanity.
More than just a gruesome tell-all about psychiatric lock-downs and hard drinking; Dystopia delves into the many guises of addiction and takes the reader on the emotional rollercoaster that a sober addict rides. Three years into sobriety, Siddall's story - as described in Dystopia - serves as an inspirational account of personal victory and success; of resilience and a refusal to surrender.
Published by MFBooks Joburg, Dystopia is achingly tragic in parts, outrageously funny in others, and at times shockingly sordid. But above all it's a story of triumph in the face of a disease that affects as much as one in 10 of the world's population.
James Siddall currently works as a freelance writer, motoring journalist and media consultant.
