At just 18 years of age, Cade Caybul has had quite a few weighty problems to contend with. Already on a downward spiral, Cade’s habitual over-drinking is accompanied by various other drugs and vices. A life of debauchery seems to be his go-to choice in coping with his own persistent demons. A family tragedy has Cade taking refuge in the arms of a close friend’s family. But the Helton family has problems of their own, and a drunken drug-using teenager isn’t helping anything. Months pass and Cade struggles to cope with the loss of his mother, racial inequities, addiction, purposelessness, and emotional issues.
Still Lifeless is an urban coming-of-age novel that packs quite a punch. The characters are dealing with hardcore, real world problems in a way that is gritty, raw, and uncensored. Cade’s story is presented without the benefit of much introspection or back story, other than persistent nightmares, and the blanks of his life are filled in with beer, cigarettes, and acid trips. All of this contributes to the overall atmosphere of reading a story through a drug-induced sort of haze. The rough urban slang is sometimes cut in with eloquent, almost poetic descriptions of things such as Cade’s, “vice for disconnection and hunger for solitude.” While this book centers on serious and profound subject matter, there are also moments of lightness and humor. And for lovers of nostalgia, sporadic references to old tech like pagers and trippy 80s colloquialisms make for a fun trip back in time. For an unrefined story about a restless Buffalo, NY teen pushing onward toward adulthood, Still Lifeless will leave you wanting to toss your liquor and go call your mamma.
