"...in this almost Grand Guignol style that invokes such surprisingly respected figures as Dennis Cooper, Hubert Selby, Chuck Palahniuk and early Poppy Z. Brite. (After all, if you're going to write a dark novel about drug addiction, why not make it literally The Darkest Novel Ever Written About Drug Addiction.)" - Chicago Center for Literature & Photography "William S. Burroughs once said, 'Desperation is the raw material of drastic change. Only those who can leave behind everything they have ever believed in can hope to escape.' Ryan Leone, in his debut novel Wasting Talent proves this. Leone's raw style and life experiences create a novel impossible to put down and equally impossible to forget. " - James Ward Kirk His music could have made Damien Cantwell the star of his generation. But living fast has its consequences, and Damien soon finds himself spiraling into a dark world full of unfettered debauchery and brutal violence. The horrors of drug addiction are painted in sharp, biting prose in this novel about throwing away everything and finding that some things are too precious to lose.