Comment on style/ language

The novel described drug culture of the 1950s in great detail. Many of the terms are so specialized to that time period that modern readers are often confused. Many of the terms for specific drugs refer to nicknames or medical names for drugs that the modern reader might not recognize. None of this hinders the understanding of the plot. Some knowledge of modern drug culture might be helpful in order to understand what is going on in the novel and many of the situations are relevant to modern drug culture.

The novel is very direct and descriptive in its understanding of certain practices in drug and homosexual subcultures, as well as in its use of racial, ethnic, and religious groups. Much of the language is highly informal, meaning that it might be offensive to many groups of readers. In addition, the subject matter described, particularly in relation to sodomy, is very graphic and likely offend or cause concern with many readers.