To see more about this book click here
'Confessions of an Alcoholic is Pat Ritter's eighth self-published book. Based on Ritter's own battle with alcohol, this novel follows the life of Bundy Quicksilver on his journey through alcoholism and subsequent understanding of the pathway he took and why he took it.
We are introduced to Bundy on the day he quits alcohol, woken into action by the threats of his wife Ada. From that day we are thrust back in time to Bundy's first taste of beer at age 12.
The author's retelling of Bundy's life from that point is honest and open. From stumbling through his first interaction with beer at 12 to becoming a young apprentice, we see the transformation that happens with many people, where drinking alcohol becomes part of every social activity.
We experience Bundy's need to find a career and the joy of finding love, albeit through a trick haze. With Bundy's entrance into the police force we see the effects that alcohol can have, and what a hold it can have over people. A quickly disintregrating marriage wakes Bundy out of his stupor and forces him into action, although this is not the end of the battle.
As an audience we are beside Bundy as he spends the next 16 years trying to figure out why he had become an alcoholic, and we see his ability, through that understanding, to help other people in similar situations.
Confessions of an Alcoholic is somewhere between the tradional story-telling novel and a type of self-help book: this is not a bad thing.
Pat Ritter writes the way I would imagine him to speak, which allows the audience to form a different sort of bond with the main character. There is no guesswork on the audience's behalf, so if you are a fan of simple concise language and life extravagant description then this novel would suit your taste. It is the sort of book that can be picked up and read a few pages at a time and then put back down for later reading. There is no back-tracking needed.
