A Way of Life — Christina Engela

Louis van Pletten was a successful young writer once. With two novels to his name in his early twenties and more talent than you could shake a stick at â€" he excelled in music, writing, art, philosophy â€" anything it seemed he set his mind to. But then, cruel Fate took his infant son and his beloved Sandra from him... and that's really when Louis' life first began to fall apart.

Alcoholism is a creeping, crippling tragedy that affects the lives of millions. It's irrevocably affected the lives of Louis van Pletten, Boris Lessing and Bernice Collet.

Theo Engela's first novel focuses on alcoholism and the struggle of the main character with it. The story is brilliantly written, and describes this way of life with dramatic and upsetting realism, for the alcoholic and those nearest them.