Beauman has managed to capture London at its truest and yet most vulnerable is this uniquely interesting novel. The plot is almost difficult to explain without going into depth or giving too much away. Raf, a twenty-two year old living in London, briefly meets a girl at a rave in a launderette and instantly falls in love with her. This is also the first time he hears of Glow, a new drug which suddenly becomes a huge part of his life for unexpected reasons. The girl, the drug, a pirate radio station and a mining company all fuse together to create an epic story of greed, revolution, and a little bit of love. I refuse to reveal any more than that, you'll just have to read it for yourself!
The story is really a statement of Beauman's intelligence. The complexity of the plot, as well the detailed descriptions of drug compositions and effects, allows Glow to become plausible, particularly those skeptical of large corporations. The little details that other young authors might leave out are what really sew the book together and are also what makes the book almost a reality. I suspect either a lot of research went into it or an incredible imagination. Either way, it works. As if this isn't enough for Beauman to exercise his talent, he also throws in some clever twists that you really don't expect, as well as a few red herrings. It's just showing off, but it makes the novel as close to perfection as you could ask for.
As Beauman's third novel, Glow has intrigued me to indulge in his other work. I honestly cannot think of a part that I didn't like; even when there's large chunks of text talking in depth about the physiological effects of different drugs I was hooked. Plus I learnt more about drugs from this novel than I have in my twenty-two years of existence. It is entirely captivating from beginning to end, never allowing your mind to drift. It demands your attention, and you let it. Definitely something that I hope, in the future, will be referred to as a cult classic.
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