Book excerpt: A searing confessional infused with the darkest humour, Permanent Midnight chronicles the opiated abyss of a Hollywood screenwriter and his formidable climb into society. Made into a major motion picture starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, Permanent Midnight is revered by critics and an ever-growing cult of devoted readers as one of the most compelling contemporary memoirs. From the author of the hugely popular I, Fatty.