After nirvana

After Nirvana follows a group of drugged-out street kids in the Pacific Northwest, hardened survivors who ask for nothing from their parents, their government, or God. Davy - the narrator - chronicles his life on the street with his girlfriend Nikki, with a boy he loves named James, with a twisted older kid named Branch, and with assorted tricks and low-lifes.

Davy's relentless rush of words and images propels the story forward at breakneck pace. He tells you what music he is listening to (Grunge, Post-Grunge, and Dance), what drugs he is taking (mostly Ecstasy, but some acid), but rarely reveals what he thinks or feels.

With his gritty depictions of America's underside, Williams captures the daily existence of these anesthetized teens, including their hypnotically raunchy scenes of gay and straight sex - usually performed for cash or drugs, sometimes for lust or love. Davy and his contemporaries don't waste time worrying about their future or whining about their past. They know it's all about the here and now, and that self-analysis is a luxury for those of us with too much time on our hands.