Prelude to Hemlock

"Prelude to Hemlock" is a black comedy that follows the fortunes of the young narrator, Jeffrey Edwards. A contrarian by nature and libertine by choice, Jeff is charming, caustic, fiercely intelligent...and fiercely self-destructive. Jeff writes lyrics for his sister Kim, a gifted rock musician, and as Kim's musical star rises, the siblings become entangled in events both comic and appalling. Along the way, Jeff contends with his pill-popping mother; his breezy and scheming father; and his dope-smoking girlfriend, Tall Patty. As these characters intertwine and collide, Kim's career approaches the bright brink of success--even as she and Jeff approach the darkest brink of disaster. Jeff understands that "what the righteous really dread is a world with no sinners," but he and Kim cannot quite grasp the cost of truly living as they please.