Chapters 8-9 Summary

Jeff has gained and lost everything, and nothing seems to have meaning for him anymore. He makes money on the Derby, goes to Las Vegas to get Sharla, and takes her to Paris. Soon, they are living in the Jazz-club scene, drinking too much, taking opium and hashish, and having casual sex. Among Jeff's sexual partners is Mireille, the beautiful red-headed girlfriend of Jean-Claude, another member of the set. One night, under the influence of opium, Jeff tells Mireille what is happening to him, and she comforts him. They never mention it again, just as Jeff and Sharla never discuss the drugs and group sex.

As Chapter 9 begins, Jeff and Sharla are living in London. Jeff picks up a girl named Sylvia outside a Chelsea drug store. She gives him LSD for the first time. Once he starts experiencing an altered...