The Sweet Forever

George Pelecanos · first published 1998 · ISBN 9780316235143

Set in the 1980s, this novel follows a crew of robbers, dealers, and hustlers across DC as they move through a city of cocaine corners, abandoned blocks, and shrinking options. The book tracks several characters through parallel lives, showing how their decisions and their luck intersect and diverge. It's rooted in the actual experience of a city in crisis, without sentimentality or despair.