David Sheff's novel Beautiful Boy offers a detailed and vivid look back on his son Nic's debilitating addiction to crystal meth. The movie adaptation, which became available online exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in January, stars young actor Timothee Chalamet, alongside big names Steve Carrell and Amy Ryan, who also worked side by side in "The Office". The Sheff family's story of struggle and strength immediately stole the spotlight, but I worry that its true purpose and importance may be lost on some supporters who seem to hone in on the actors themselves rather than the story being told.
Timothee Chalamet, who also starred in "Call Me By Your Name" and "Interstellar", has racked up, at this point, millions of supporters and dedicated fans, if not for his talent, than for his good looks. If you go on any social media platform at any time of day, you are almost guaranteed to come across a post concerning the 23-year-old. And while his talent is, indeed, praiseworthy, it is so incredibly important not to miss the point of Beautiful Boy.
Chalamet, Carrell, and Ryan do an amazing job of portraying a family plagued by the pain and fear of substance abuse, specifically the Sheff family. Let's talk a little more about exactly what we're dealing with here (avoiding as many spoilers as possible, of course).
Nic Sheff, having grown up with a family split in two because of his parents' divorce, ultimately falls into the stone cold hands of methamphetamine. In the heartwrenching novel, his father, David Sheff, takes readers along for the journey as he watches his son fade away, then commit to recovery, then relapse, fade away, and commit to recovery again, over and over. Sheff describes the cyclical and sickening pattern of addiction, and he is open and honest about his son's road to recovery, which was in no way straight or simple, and this is the sad truth for most cases.
David Sheff brings readers into his family's whole world, beckoning his audience into every ounce of turmoil and terror, both on the side of the family, and of Nic himself.
If that doesn't sound emotional and captivating enough, David begins his novel with the beginning of his son's life. Readers are essentially watching Nic grow up, and then watching him get pulled in by the drug that plagues him for so many years to follow. Not only does this add to the pathos of the way the story is told, but it also works to remind readers that Nic, just like anyone who falls down the unfortunate hole we know as addiction, is human. David establishes Nic's childhood and preteen years, detailing Nic's favorite activities, music, games, and friends. These details allow us to understand Nic as a passionate, fun-loving, normal child, and this makes the story all the more powerful by allowing us all to comprehend the fact that it could happen to anyone. Any family, anywhere, at any time. Addiction can't always be "seen coming" so to speak. It cannot always be predicted, and sometimes there isn't a clear-cut connection to be drawn between the sufferer and the cause.
Not only does the telling of the Sheff family's story offer eye-openers when it comes to addiction itself, but it is also eye-opening in regards to how a family dynamic is affected when addiction forces itself into the mix. Readers and watchers are faced with something of a reality check. This family's story is not unique. In fact, addiction has reached more than two-thirds of American families in some way. Throughout the Beautiful Boy novel, David Sheff repeatedly reminds readers that that throughout the journey, he was constantly caught off guard by how many people he heard from who shared stories so strikingly similar to his own. Addiction is widespread, and it is rapid, and it is something that needs to be addressed.
As someone who has watched best friends come face to face with the terror that addiction wreaks, I was over the moon when I picked up Beautiful Boy from my local Barnes and Noble and found that not only was it a candid, painfully real recounting of this family's path, but it is also an informative, enlightening, and education-focused approach to the telling of this story.
Throughout the novel, Sheff includes a multitude of statistics that make clear exactly how much of a crisis we really are living are living in the middle of. I could not be more admirable of, and grateful for, David Sheff's decision to include this kind of information in his work. Ever since I caught a glimpse of what substance abuse does to a person and to those that love that person, I have done research on top of research pertaining to numbers. How many people struggle with substance abuse? How many of those people actually get the help they need? What are the current numbers looking like? How many overdoses occur each year that ultimately could have been prevented in some way? Which drugs are the main culprits?
I have tirelessly played what I believe to be my part in making a difference. I have slaved over links to this website and that. I have slaved over my keyboard, spreading awareness and encouraging others to act when they can and should. I have religiously taken advantage of every annual Mental Health Awareness day, week, and month to post on my various platforms regarding substance abuse and mental illness.
I have read articles, and I have written them myself, and so often I find that more people than not are, with each article, learning things about substance abuse that I now consider to be basic knowledge of the topic. The amount of people who are uneducated on the subject, though, proves that unfortunately, certain things aren't basic knowledge, which brings me to the question of.... why the hell aren't they? Why aren't we, as a collective society, doing more to educate ourselves and each other on one of the most major emergencies facing those around us, including our friends? Why are we watching the people we love willingly subject themselves to nicotine addictions, for example, because its considered "trendy"? Why are we standing by knowing that what they consider "only a party habit" has the potential to turn into something so, so much more serious?
Why aren't we doing a better job of taking care of ourselves and each other?
David Sheff's novel verified and validated so many questions and frustrations that I have been experiencing for a few years now, and I know the same can be said for so many other people who have been touched by the Sheffs' story.
When I turned the last page of the novel, when I read all the way to the back cover and then put down the back, I found myself consoled. I felt understood, comforted, and validated in a way I had not before. I attribute this to David Sheff's dedication to educating his readers, rather than simple storytelling. I attribute it to David Sheff's dedication to educating society as a whole, both with this book as well as his second, which is entitled Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America's Greatest Tragedy. I can't wait to grab Clean off a shelf as soon as I can.
In the end, the point I am trying to get across here is that you shouldn't get so caught up in the small details that you miss the big picture. We all love Timothee Chalamet, and I am appreciative of all of the stars of the film for portraying something so important, but set aside your personal preferences for two hours and pay attention to what you are being shown.
I have hope.
I think it is people like David Sheff, people who embrace their pain as proactiveness, who ultimately make a true difference.
It gives me hope to know that now, with Beautiful Boy plastered all across the internet, more and more people are being driven towards a source of productive education on a subject that people all too often choose to be ignorant of.
There is no room for ignorance in a place where we need progress.
