Author: David Sanchez
Publisher: Mariner Books
Genre: fiction, contemporary, mental health, YA/new-adult

David has a mind that never stops running. He reads Dante and Moby Dick, he sinks into Hemingway and battles with Milton. But on Florida’s Gulf Coast, one can slip into deep water unconsciously; at the age of 14, David runs away from home to pursue a girl and, on his journey, tries crack cocaine for the first time. He’s hooked instantly. Over the course of the next decade, he fights his way out of jail and rehab, trying to make sense of the world around him—a sunken world where faith in anything is a privilege. He makes his way to a tenuous sobriety, but it isn't until he takes a literature class at a community college that something within him ignites.

All Day is a Long Time is a spectacular, raw account of growing up and managing, against every expectation, to carve out a place for hope. We see what it means, and what it takes, to come back from a place of little control—to map ourselves on the world around, and beyond, us. David Sanchez’s debut novel resounds with real force and demonstrates the redemptive power of the written word.

Classified as “new adult,” this book fits well into that category as we follow David on his way toward adulthood. The narrative is non-linear, as David rethinks his life and the moments that have brought him to the path he is on. Our protagonist is bored with the world, hiding in books and obsessing with nature. His first contact with drugs was traumatic and has shaped his life.

It’s almost a cautionary story; we learn a lot about drugs and what they do to the human body, how they make an addict feel. We follow David’s thoughts: the temptation and his great struggle to win a war against himself.

Lonely in his pain, abused and lost, David finds that using drugs provides an escape from his anxiety and depression, from himself and the world. There are moments, like with his first love, when things get a little better, and he can enjoy life. But his sensitivity is still there; he is angry with the world, with his family, with life.

His family and first love try to help as best they can. But for someone who is not an addict, who don’t understand depression and anxiety, it is difficult not to judge, to make assumptions that only cause more conflict. The journey of forgiveness on both sides is very real and difficult.

This is David Sanchez’s first novel, and he makes his mark. The characters are real and palpable. The book is full of lyrism and long descriptions that are so atmospheric you can only dive into the consciousness of the narrator. The words move you; David’s emotions are so vivid, sometimes you must take a break to breathe. This is his journey, his search for meaning, for God and for peace.

It is a sad history written in a beautiful way, touching and sincere. This is not a plot- driven book; the summary above describes almost all the story we follow. It is a reflection on existence, the search for meaning. These 250 pages can change the way you think about addiction, drugs and life itself.

-Guest reviewer Gabriele Barbosa S.