As Good as it Gets - Softcover

Simon Nolan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0704380889 ISBN 13: 9780704380882

Publisher: Quart PRESS, 1998

Synopsis

Steve, Ward, Kelvin and Marina share an apartment in Brighton, they are all flat broke and in no hurry to make any decisions about their lives. One day Ben, a seedy friend of Steve, shows up and asks to be able to hang out for a while, he hides his bag and goes out to make a call. That's the last they see of him. Next morning they open the bag, inside are five plastic packages, each containing a kilo of high-grade cocaine. First reaction: a disbelieving smile and a hint of salivation. Second reaction: fear - big time, but then they find out Ben is dead and there's nothing to link them to the coke. Third reaction: well what would you do?

About this title

From Booklist:

Nolan's debut novel has no connection whatsoever to the popular American film by the same name. In Nolan's story, four college-age Brits in the resort town of Brighton find themselves with five kilos of cocaine. What to do? Enjoy it, sell it, or just get rid of it? Those options are all explored with both humor and suspense while Nolan's aimless, cynical characters keep busy in their own way. Ward shaves all his body hair to impress the girl upstairs; Steve answers a gay personal ad; Kelvin and Marina navigate the murky waters of their undefined relationship. Eventually, the cocaine becomes, as one character says, like an entertaining guest who comes and stays forever and eats all the food. The drug's messy effects include insomnia, suicidal recklessness, hospitals, and jail. For the most part, however, Nolan has the good sense to keep things light. Given the subject matter and its popularity in Britain, As Good As It Gets should attract a large college-age readership, which may be surprised by the novel's decidedly anti-drug conclusions. James Klise
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Quart PRESS
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0704380889
• ISBN 13: 9780704380882
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256