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Four former drug users return to Las Vegas to celebrate a substantial lottery win. What could possibly go wrong? Nicholas Duke is drinking the moment in. For him, life is perfect. He has his estranged boyfriend, Raoul, back in his life, and his two best friends, Neville and Gladys, are around to partake in some nostalgic activities. The four are living the high life of limos, private planes, and lots and lots of drugs. None of them seem to realize that a lot can happen in just one short trip, especially when your destination is the city of vices.
In fact, vices are a central theme in the friends' adventures. Despite their mixed backgrounds, Nick and his friends all equally partake in an impressive number of mind-altering substances. They stumble around Las Vegas, fueled by a drug and sex high. The reader is taken along on a ride that starts at a crawl but quickly escalates into a full run. The book reads like a mind-bending dream, seen through Nick's hazy perception of the world. Between trips (both literal and figurative), Nick ponders the nature of Las Vegas, vices, life and death, and even God. Nick's relationships with Raoul and others around him are also on display here, revealing how even the strongest bonds between people can become fleeting in an instant.
The Distance to the End reads like a beginning to a grand adventure in life. It leaves many questions unanswered, but shows promise for future entries about Nick and Raoul.