Leaving London

A Novel for the Disconnected

De: Garry Crystal

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

After a bad break-up, an aspiring writer returns to London with the intention of avoiding any future pain and conflict by living life with as little responsibility as possible. Unfortunately, his previous history of self-destructive, self-medicating habits is a little harder to leave behind.

In London, Cal finds refuge in meaningless jobs, temporary relationships and the loneliness that is an ironic by-product of living in a city of eight million. London, however, has other plans. Assaulted on Christmas Eve, a suicidal housemate and a new writing job for a less than responsible employer, all to add to Cal’s constant hangover. When Sofia appears–a woman he is attracted to and suspicious of–Cal finds himself immersed in a tumultuous co-dependent relationship where harsh reality is the only option available.

Alcohol, drugs, sex, love, depression, loneliness, game-playing and a temporary escape to New York. Leaving London is a dark drama that adds to the canon of city-lit fiction in which bohemians, barflies, the rich, poor, the down and out and the down at heart try to find some meaning in a city that can crush your hopes as easily as reignite your lust for life.

This book has: dark humor, drug and alcohol misuse, depression, sexual scenes, profanity. For mature readers.
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Leaving London Reviews "London plays as a major character. For those who have been there it will invoke wonderful memories of the city and for those who have never visited, it will make you want to hop the next plane and walk in Cal’s footsteps. The city’s vastness, in all its glory and wonder, grime and grit, seems to echo Cal’s emotional state and his sense of being “lost” and “rudderless” as he struggles to maintain his footing. Cal not only seeks his place within London but within his own emotional sphere as well. Garry Crystal has an original voice and I have no doubt that you will enjoy this complex and thought-provoking story. Highly recommended." Julian Gallo, author of Rhombus Denied

"Wandering the streets in a chemically altered state, he subjects himself to the seamier side of life, robbed, beaten up and has sex with whomever he ends up with at the end of the evening. There is a theme of loneliness running throughout the book and Crystal captures this quite well and you find it easy to see why many feel a strong sense of alienation, stuck in jobs that are low paying with little chance for advancement.” Online Book Club Organization

“This book is about relationships, relationships are ephemeral. We are either doomed to repeat our mistakes or protect ourselves with walls, not out of fear but as a sort of silent dignity. This is a lengthy love song, a love story, a message in a bottle. I hope it reaches readers out there.” Baxter Labatos, Sphere Music