Look, we see why you might think that The Spectacular Now glamorizes drugs and alcohol. Sutter's cool, right? He gets invited to all the great parties, he has a popular girlfriend, everyone wants to hang out with him, he's got a bright future to look forward to … oh. Wait. By the end of the book, none of those are true. Alcohol is his only friend and his only family. While his real friends learn moderation and move on, in the end, he get trapped in a not-so-spectacular now. Maybe Nancy Reagan had it right after all.
Questions About Drugs and Alcohol
- Ricky talks about drinking getting old. Why doesn't it get old for Sutter? What's so awesome about whiskey?
- Why is Aimee so stoked about starting to drink, when she's never done it before?
- Are there any examples of adults enjoying alcohol responsibly, or do you get the feeling that this is an anti-alcohol book?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Alcohol helps Sutter handle the situation with his dad without freaking out.
The Spectacular Now is anti-alcohol. In the world Tim Tharp creates, there's no such thing as moderation.