Fish Tales is an autobiographical novel by Nettie Jones that has received iconic status in the USA ,championed by no less than Toni Morrison who pushed for its initial release by a reluctant publisher almost 40 years ago.
It's a rather sad, bordering on squalid, tale of Lewis Jones from the childhood she didn't appear to realise was one of abusive relationships to her years of sex,drugs and a touch of rock and roll in New York. I was reminded of the Lou Reed song "Walk on the Wild Side" as Lewis negotiates a world of strange characters leading hedonistic but essentially empty lives,chasing pleasure that never quite reached expectations, people who liked to see themselves as free spirits but in reality were mostly social misfits who didn't even seem to like each other.
This is an interesting read but there's not much joy in it. It's full of unlikable characters living lives of mutual exploitation and from dose to dose of illicit substances.
An interesting read,and no doubt shocking when it was first published but mostly it all seems a bit squalid and depressing these days.

Where do I start? This book left me so overwhelmed. I couldn't put it down for a second and when I finished it I wanted more of it. I wanted more books. So so good.