Opioid, Indiana
Opioid, Indiana by Brian Allen Carr is an illustrated novel published by Soho Press on September 17, 2019. This 224-page work is set against the backdrop of Indiana’s opioid crisis and follows the journey of seventeen-year-old Riggle, who is grappling with the loss of his parents and the challenges of living with his uncle and his uncle’s girlfriend. As Riggle faces the pressing need to come up with $800 in rent, he embarks on a quest to locate his missing uncle, leading him to a diverse array of characters in his small town.
In this narrative, Carr delves into the complexities of family life and the coming-of-age experience in a contemporary rural setting. Through Riggle’s encounters, the novel addresses themes of economic inequality, addiction, and the struggles of youth in today’s America. The story captures the essence of a teenager’s search for identity and belonging amid a landscape marked by social issues, providing readers with a poignant exploration of modern life.
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“Full of gorgeous language and wild insights.”—Nick Flynn
Set in the beleaguered heart of Indiana’s opioid crisis, Brian Allen Carr’s timely and tender novel about a teen struggling to find his place in the world—and come up with $800 rent—is at once a moving rumination on the hopeful power of story and a harrowing insight into modern America. It is a book you won’t soon forget.
Seventeen-year-old Riggle is living in rural Indiana with his uncle and uncle’s girlfriend after the death of his parents. Now his uncle is missing, probably on a drug binge. It’s Monday, and $800 in rent is due Friday. Riggle, who’s been suspended from school, has to either find his uncle or get the money together himself. His mission exposes him to a motley group of Opioid locals—encounters by turns perplexing, harrowing, and heartening.
With empathy and insight, Carr explores what it’s like to be a high school kid in the age of Trump—a time of economic inequality, addiction, Confederate flags, and mass shootings. Through the voice of its unforgettable protagonist—charismatic, confused, searching, by turns cynical and naïve, wise and impulsive—Opioid, Indiana pierces to the heart of our moment.
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