I can appreciate the main character's love of literature and enjoyed the references to Steinbeck, Thoreau and Emerson; however, I found it very difficult to connect with the VERY heavy drug usage. Honestly, I would be wrapped up in the eloquent description of a cave on a beach along the Coast Highway only to have the author drop some acid toting free loaders into the picture. I got to like Vinnie and became frustrated that the author did not spend time developing the honest and raw truths of Vinnie’s character flaws.