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Book review: Like it Matters by David Cornwell

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Like it Matters by David Cornwell (first published in 2016 by Umuzi, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa)
Ed’s life is a mess. Swinging idly between drugs and booze, he has no purpose. In fact, he wills his life to end, and goes as far as to keep a stash of sleeping pills; a talisman of sorts. That is, until he sees her. 

She is at the same meeting he is trying to talk himself out of attending, delivered in a religiously adorned van. When she skips out of the meeting and he talks to her, Ed feels compulsively drawn to her. Her name is Charlotte.

Like Ed, Charlotte has a history with substance abuse. Together, they try to forge a new life together, but the animalistic craving for drugs is too strong, and they commence a life which slowly spirals into their previous bad habits, until there is no denying that their lives are a mess. 

This is further complicated with the arrival of Dewald, Charlotte’s cousin who brings with him not just drugs, but violent schemes. Eventually, Ed must face his own ghosts, and force himself to do more, to be more. 

I was initially sceptical of Like it Matters, because the name suggested apathy, and I did not wish to read another book that glorified drugs. However, Cornwell presents a surprisingly poetic book, which tracks the journey from rock bottom to redemption. 

His is a story of new beginnings and salvation; however sketchy and rocky this may be, he beautifully illustrates that things are not always perfect and certainly never as easy as we think. In addition, he shows that love stories are not always the Disney-esque versions we imagine, and that you have to learn to love yourself before you can truly grow. 

Like it Matters is a hauntingly refreshing story in which your average South African guy next door is faced with a darkness he must banish, and must choose light and work for his own happiness. It is inspiring and moving and speaks to the courage and strength of the broken human spirit.

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