A Scanner Darkly. Part 1

So far, this is the most intense book we've read. I find it to be very interesting and more real than the others because, although this one is clearly in the future, it doesn't seem to be after a huge nuclear war or on Mars. The references to drugs and the lives of dopers is scarily real. I am curious to see what happens to Arctor on his mission of following himself. He seems like a very deep guy who has a lot hidden. All of the characters seem very interesting, to say the least. I don't like how PKD portrays or describes his female characters, or how the men in the novel talk about the women. They aren't held at a very high standard at all, in fact, they're very objectified. Last semester I had to read the novel, Always Running, which is about teenagers in LA and their experiences with drugs and gangs. A Scanner Darkly makes me think of this one in how it revolves around drug use. It's interesting to me that Arctor once had a wife, two daughters, and a seemingly quiet and "normal" life. That doesn't seem possible with the life he currently lives in the novel; that's quite the turn for someone to make. Over all, I just don't like the book simply because of what it's about. I guess I don't enjoy reading about drugs and women sleeping with people to get them and so much violence. I heard a rumor that PKD was addicted to drugs when he wrote this novel... true? It wouldn't surprise me I guess.