4.5 stars

Requiem for a Dream is one of my favourite movies and I’ve been meaning to read the source book forever. I received an ALC from NetGalley, this is my honest review.

Requiem for a Dream follows a group of people whose lives are irrevocably damaged by drugs. Three young addicts will do anything to get their next hit, and one of their widowed mothers falls victim to a reckless doctor’s prescription. Set across the landscape of a city transformed into a Heroin wasteland, this book poses the question, how far is too far?

The characters are all explored deeply but you will still find yourself shocked at times, even though each new rock bottom feels inevitable. The author’s descriptions are consistently vivid and at times induced a visceral reaction.

I loved the narration!! I’m glad I listening to this book rather than read it because it 100% improved the overall experience. The character voices were great and it really worked with the sections of text that were scattered trains of thought.

*contains spoilers from the book and the movie*
*contains spoilers from the book and the movie*
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*contains spoilers from the book and the movie*
*contains spoilers from the book and the movie*
*contains spoilers from the book and the movie*
*contains spoilers from the book and the movie*
*contains spoilers from the book and the movie*
*contains spoilers from the book and the movie*


I watched this movie when I was about 20, and it was life-changing. I'd never seen the highs and lows of addiction presented so honestly and so brutally. And somehow.... without judgement?

I know that sounds wild seeing as how all the characters end up in a pretty awful situation long-term. But.... even so, it felt judgement-free.

I had no idea that the movie was a book first.

So, when I saw this, I absolutely had to read it. I wanted to see how it compared to the movie. And I have to say, it definitely did not disappoint. We always say the book is better than the movie. But I think, most of the time, it depends on which you're exposed to first. If you saw the movie and loved it, you often won't like the book -- even though it may be objectively better.

That wasn't the case with this book. It was just as excellent as the movie (and also didn't make me love the movie any less). Honestly, the two follow each other pretty closely. I'd say the biggest divergence came with Marion's downfall. The movie depicted that much more graphically than the book. Ty's was a little more heartbreaking in the movie, too.

But when it comes to shame, guilt, and regret, I imagine those things are much more easily portrayed in a visual medium.

Anyway. I loved this book. Honestly.

It should be required fracking reading for everyone over the age of 14. It's incredible.

A brutal and unflinching look at four people spiraling into addiction.
Harry and his friend Tyrone visit his mother, Sara, to steal her television. She’s got it chained to the radiator. And because Harry is her “beautiful boy,” of course she’ll unchain it for him. It was just a ploy to get him to visit with her for a little longer. She’s starved for his attention. Harry pawns the TV for some money to buy drugs and Sara pays a little bit every week to get her TV back. Rinse and repeat. It’s a sad and beautiful scene that shows their desperation, and this is before any of them are truly desperate.
The audiobook narration is excellent. I understand from some reviews that the writing becomes fractured and loses punctuation at times. I didn’t know that when listening, but definitely felt the narrator incorporated the sense of urgency or disorientation where appropriate.
This is a tough story to recommend due to the chaos of their lives. The characters are a bit stereotyped, from the Jewish mother’s attitude toward her son to the sheriffs in the South who don’t like anyone from New York but especially not blacks, or whites who travel with them.
I never saw the movie and didn’t read the book, so I am only able to comment on the audiobook. I listened compulsively, hoping for better outcomes for them all - including the smart and cultured girlfriend, Marion, who makes her own poor decisions to help her feel secure (in her addiction).
Captivating. Devastating. This one will stay with me for some time, and I will definitely not see the movie.
My thanks to the author, publisher, producer, and #NetGalley for access to the brilliant audiobook for review purposes. Available as of Nov. 19, 2024.

Thanks to #DreamscapeMedia and #NetGalley for the timely loaner of #Requiem for a Dream ON AUDIOBOOK which was RELEASED yesterday, NOV 19 2024 and narrated by #WilliamDeMeritt who does an absolutely outstanding job tackling accents and nuances for every character in the novel..

Harry and Sara Goldfarb of Bronx, NY, as well as Tyrone C. Love and Marion Silver, are the primary characters amid an array of others from drug dealers to the sun-worshipping older women with whom Sara congregates to regale them with tales of being "on the television" and on losing weight to fit in a special red dress with gold shoes. These are not spoilers, just examples of the incredibly poignant details with which Selby Jr. paints this brutally heartbreaking novel from start to finish.

This book is NOT for the light-hearted -- it's a gritty, authentic, and devastating account of the irreversible and deadly consequences of spiraling addiction(s) -- to substances (esp. heroin), to dreams, to nostalgia, to validation, and later on to secrets, betrayals, thievery, and whatever it takes to maintain the soul-sucking habits that seem to hold no bottom(s). This book is a collective heartbreak but, like all the best books I've read, it's filled with humor and irony and vivid, powerful prose.

I can't say enough about the choice of the narrator: William DeMeritt simply kills it -- brings it to life. And while the book is famously challenging for its idiosyncratic use of language and grammar (or lack thereof), none of this comes through on the DeMerritt's narrative performance. The content and quality of the writing, heard through this narrator's talents, is like listening to a stage play or tragic film and then allowing your mind to conjure the twisted imagery.

It is THAT good. But, truly, it is also THAT dark. One of the darkest books I've ever read. And Darren Aronofsky adapted Hubert Selby Jr.'s 1972 novel into a stellar and unforgettable film in December of 2000 winning multiple awards (esp. for Ellen Burstyn's portrayal of Sara Goldfarb - probably the most crushing all-around fate of all - and all outcomes are crushing) as well as adapted screenplay, directing (noms and wins).

If you are a reader who 1/ has read and enjoyed this novel, 2/ has seen and enjoyed the film adaptation, 3/ has a HIGH tolerance for extremely gritty and often offensive (!!) language (intertwined with GORGEOUS prose and characters who POP), and 4/ just plain love a well-narrated book regardless of the pain level of the story -- YOU MUST EXPERIENCE THIS ON #AUDIOBOOK!!!!

I am going to delve into Selby Jr's other (for me, lesser known) books and there is no doubt he wrote from the real and held nothing back. I needed a lot of quiet time to absorb the experience once I finished this ~ 8.5 hour gem, to write a thoughtful and careful review, and again to express my appreciation for the opportunity to listen to it and provide a review thanks to Dreamscape and Net Galley.