Ryan ChartrandRecent releases “Beautiful Boy” and “Tweak” explore the experiences of a young man addicted to crystal meth from two distinct angles: “Tweak” is written by 21-year-old Nic Sheff, an addict himself, while “Beautiful Boy” is penned by his father, journalist David Sheff, who watched his son struggle for many years.
Father and son released their books at the same time in order to give the public the ability to hear two concurrent accounts of the experiences of addiction. At the same time, they desired to reach a variety of audiences: “Tweak” is designed for young adults, particularly those who are themselves addicts, while “Beautiful Boy” is better suited for older readers who either know someone struggling with addiction or wish to study it from a more clinical perspective.
Whatever the target audience, both books create a unique opportunity – when reading them together, the reader can see the complex dynamics of a single family evolve over the course of their son’s/self’s struggle with addiction. Both authors present their books as stories of eventual “success,” in that Nic eventually becomes sober.
However, what is most compelling about reading the books isn’t the story of a protagonist overcoming an obstacle (there are several other drug memoirs that do a better job), but it is being able to see two angles of a family’s evolution over time and through their struggles.
Both books are basically the same story, but each author presents it completely differently, which offers amazing insight into the workings of a family and the complexity of those relationships. The same people appear in both books but with different characterization and roles. The staff from Nic’s first rehab are the hated villains in “Tweak” but the precious godsends in “Beautiful Boy.” Similarly, the handful of friends Nic clings to and describes as his support system look like toxic people intent on messing up his life when seen from a parent’s perspective. Nic’s begging for forgiveness and help from his parents is heartbreaking and sincere when reading his own book, but when reading his father’s, one wonders why they keep giving into his demands and false promises.
When deciding in which order to read the books, “Tweak” makes more sense, since it is a firsthand account of overcoming addiction (which is the undoubted driving force of both books). “Beautiful Boy” will fill in all the holes of Nic’s story and expand the story to include more than just the protagonist. It is also better suited for an adult reader, as Tweak’s simple prose and teenage overtones become irksome.
Some readers have even tried to read them concurrently, which would be ideal (although possibly difficult, since the books are organized so differently). In order to get the full effect, however, they should be read together. Their ability to explain a complex family dynamic makes them much more rewarding then when read on their own.
Emilie Egger is an English junior and Mustang Daily book columnist.