Paradise Overdose

by Robert Antoni

Overview

The decadent chic of Bahamian high life collides with bittersweet romance in this poignant and powerful novel that explores the redemptive power of love. Chris Angostura, the scion of a prominent family, frolics away his days and nights drinking and clubhopping in the Bahamas, where sex and drugs are his for the taking. It is not until he meets Robin, a beautiful and exciting artist, that he begins to face his past in order to discover the true beauty behind the seductive facade of paradise.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802134875
Publisher:	Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Publication date:	01/28/1997
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	251
Product dimensions:	5.53(w) x 8.28(h) x 0.70(d)

What People are Saying About This

Jay McInerney

"If Thomas McGuane, Bob Marley, and Jenny Buffett collaborated on a novel, the results would surely resemble 'Paradise Overdose'....this is a funny, poignant, energetic, and thoroughly entertaining debut."

George Clinton

"Nothing short of a first-pen hurricane is the impact of Brian Anthony's first novel about tribulent inturgid goings-on in the Bahamas. An astonishing debut!"

Editorial Reviews

Cocaine, cancer, art, racial and economic tension, childhood traumas and graphic sex receive equally sophomoric treatment in this debut, a wearisome tale of darkness beneath the blazing Bahamian sun. Contemporary Freeport is the lifelong home of Chris Angostura, privileged white heir to a Caribbean bitters fortune, and his black half-brother Shark. Best friends, the pair live in a state of constant debauchery, with Chris haunted by memories of their youth and of his mother's (possibly suicidal) depression. Shark, meanwhile, is becoming dangerously involved in the drug-trafficking underworld. Chris's passion for Robin, a conceptual artist and terminal cancer patient, inspires him to try to change all of their lives. The Bahamian milieu proves more interesting than any of the novel's characters, although Antoni seems preoccupied with his self-impressed protagonist. A lack of subtlety pervades the narrative, reaching its nadir in the overwrought dialogue that depicts the blossoming romance between Chris and Robin, two would-be aesthetes. These flaws, together with a callow 1980s sensibility, severely undermine the novel's impact. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The wealthy young bachelor Chris Angostura, whose main interests in life are cocaine and women, and his friend Shark, whose dream is to become a major player in the drug-trafficking trade, live what they think is the good life in the Bahamas. Then Chris falls in love with Robin, an eclectic artist who is dying of cancer. At the same time, Shark steals a large amount of cocaine from vengeful Colum-bian drug lords. Life, love, and death are newly defined for Chris and Shark as they come to grips with uncontrollable forces in their lives. This first novel is generally well written, especially the segments featuring Chris's unique storytelling, but Antoni's use of profanity-while in line with the characters-may prove excessive for some readers. Nonetheless, this novel is recommended for public libraries.-Heather Blenkinsopp, Mercy Coll. Lib., Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

Library Journal