It's hard to put yourself in another's shoes, especially when their life experiences are gory and bleak enough for them condense it into a novel.

But Laurence H Cramer's 'Psychocandy' lets you into a world of drug abuse and crime with its honest, no-frills style that depicts an emotional journey of one teenage boy's fight against his inner demons within the underworld of Johannesburg's drug scene.

Kipa is a normal 16-year-old boy, faced with the normal adolescent issues like girls and difficult parents. He's a grade-A student at a posh high school in Johannesburg who struggles to fit into a world he doesn't understand. His story starts when he's looking to score in downtown Johannesburg, and he runs into Nick, a small-time drug dealer, who takes him back to his seedy apartment where he meets his girlfriend Candy.

It's love at first sight for Kipa. And as his infatuation with Candy deepens, so his addiction progresses from soft drugs like marijuana to acid. Eventually he is almost forced by his situation into becoming a small-time dealer, selling to his classmates to get his next fix.

It's not an altogether unfamiliar story, but the engaging way in which the book is written (complete with Jo'burg slang) and its spiralling plot mean that Cramer has produced a real page-turner.

Like a thief that creeps up on him, Kipa gets to a point where he's fighting for his survival and for the love of a girl that he can never truly have.

The relationship between him and Candy forms the core of the book, and eventually the two of them become intertwined in a vicious cycle of deceit and jealousy. This destructive relationship is set up as a parallel to Kipa's drug addiction, hence the title 'Psychocandy' (which is also the street name for LSD).

'Psychocandy' is not a self-help book for reformed druggies. It also steers clear of preaching about the consequences of drug addiction. And yet it's far from gung-ho (unlike many "drug" novels around), which makes it an accessible read.

Rather, Cramer focuses on the story of one boy and his downward spiral into obscurity, as he's forced to deal with growing up and eventually taking on other people's burdens as they also plunge into the world of drug addiction.

'Psychocandy' provides some very raw insight into a drug addict's mind — and you'll often find yourself having to pause and take a breather.

This is a poignant story that delves into the human psyche, the nature of addiction and what happens to relationships when trust fades away — you'll love it and hate it at the same time. But you won't be able to put it down.