Thanks for the warning - I'll pass on this one. Doesn't sound like I'd like it either, even though I didn't hate the English Patient like you did. (The book is really good, by the way. Michael Ondaatje kicks ass.) Addiction is just so sad. A's dad has a lawyer friend who got hooked on cocaine and lost his job and his family because of it. A's dad gave him a chance to work as a paralegal, but just found out he started using again in the wake of his brother's death. Such a crappy situation, and I feel so bad for the guy. How many people end up homeless and alone because of drugs? Sigh.