"Hearts in Atlantis"

We just returned from a small-ship cruise from Barcelona to Rome, stopping at ports along the Spanish, French and Italian Riviera. The cruise didn't have any 12-step meetings, but I spent some time reading a Stephen King novella that touches on the subject of addiction in a very interesting way. The novella is called "Hearts in Atlantis."

The setting is a college in the northeastern part of the United States in 1966. The Vietnam War has recently escalated. Peter is a freshman from a small town who's dependant upon his scholarship which, in turn,is dependant upon Peter's maintaining at least a 2.5 grade point average.

Atlantis stands for the physical and psychological virginity that Peter has experienced up to this point. Stable home, high school girlfriend, good grades, and almost no knowledge of the war. Atlantis is a golden place, a golden age that is destined for a catastrophic end.

"Hearts" stands for two different things as well. The card game of Hearts becomes a compulsion, an addiction that overtakes Peter and his friends, threatening their grades and their futures. And Peter's heart leads him to love and friendship, and ultimately heartbreak, before the end of the story.

The story is about awakening and what follows afterwards. For several of the characters, what follows is too much of something -- too many card games, too much drinking, too much sex, too much activity protesting the war. Peter has a second awakening that saves him from destruction. Others don't, despite the knowledge that their lives have become unmanageable.

A good read, especially for someone who remembers that era.