It seems like a long time since I’ve read for pure pleasure. My livelihood depends on lots of ongoing educational reading, so I’ve adopted other means of relaxing besides pleasure reading. After reading Stash, I now realize what I’ve been missing for the last few years.
David Klein has written a riveting, page-turning, stay up late type of book. While relatively short in length, Klein’s debut effort displays a surprising economy of words, being only 365 pages in length. But don’t be fooled by that!
Several characters are introduced in surprising depth. Gwen is a 30 somthing, stay-at-home, PTA, Swim Team mom. Her husband Brian is moving up the corporate ladder in a pharaceutical company.
They live in an upscale, rich town with nice people, nice schools, nice places to eat and a police department that is very concerned about drug use among teens in their town.
Gwen, like everyone, smoked pot during college, and she decides to score a small amount for a family trip to the mountains. She calls an old boyfriend, Jude, who can sell her a small amount of pot if she comes by his restaurant.
Everything turns upside down when Gwen is involved in a car accident on the way home from seeing Jude.
The reader knows these people. These characters are exactly like people we all know in our own lives, and because of that this book really hits on an emotional level. I couldn’t stop reading until things “resolved” because Klein writes in such a way as to fully draw the reader in.
Perhaps this is because he researched every aspect of the book, from what it’s like to work in a bar, to how pharmaceutical companies market prescription drugs, to how politics and police work alongside the justice system in America. Because of this, the book is entirely believable.
Sex, money, power, fear, regret, booze, weed, greed and politics all come together, along with an intricate, yet fully believable story line to create an absolutely fantastic read.
And yes, there is a surprise ending.
If you want to escape for a couple days, this book will take you there. What a treat!
Author: David Klein
Book Review by: Doc Bud – 420 Magazine Staff Writer
Publisher: Broadway Books
Purchase the Book Here: STASH – A Novel by David Klein
