Leila Klasse

The Book of James Leila Klasse

From his basement room, he raises his voice. "Is this all there is?" James wants freedom from his two mothers who treat him like he is twenty going on 14. What happens next is a fast-paced, cleverly plotted adventure, that turns James and his mothers on their heads. James leaves home, finds a girl, and lands a new job. His mother Ellen explores her sexuality and his mother Sandra finds her long lost sister, ex-hippy Char. As winter arrives in Minnesota, the tale darkens. James is immersed in the underworld of prostitution, heroin abuse and drug dealing. With measures of insight, compassion and humor, The Book of James races across the page. Life goes on; babies are born, holidays observed, and loves thrives, while James faces the ultimate challenge, finding meaning in his life. According to the Minnesota Department of Health (2017) the United States is in the grips of an opioid epidemic. Killing 115 people per day, opioids accounted for the majority of the 64,000 drug overdose deaths in the USA in 2016.