488. Junkie

Junkie
William S. Burroughs
1953
Around 210 pages

Welcome to the List, weirdo. I was never a fan of Burroughs. He so clearly wants to provoke me that I rebel, and want to label him "traditional." Also, novels about addiction are so tough to get through. We all know somebody on that hellpath, and it can be very emotional to dive into, even with this guy at the helm.

This is a short jaunt through the behaviors of a heroine addict in the 1950s, first in New York, then in other big cities. I wasn't really sure who the intended audience was. There was one strange moment where the narrator takes the time to tell the audience that you shouldn't drive on marijuana as it messes with your spatial awareness. It felt like a weird kind of PSA interruption. It almost felt like it was written for people who have never done drugs and want to see some glimpses of that world without getting too deep in the trenches.

Actually this wasn't nearly as disgusting as I thought it would be. I would have expected Burroughs to take full advantage of the opportunity to gross out us with body horror. I guess he did a bit, so maybe I'm just hardening in my old age. I read Trainspotting first, so nothing else has been quite as visceral as that experience.

I guess it's interesting that he is putting a spotlight on an issue which wasn't getting a ton of attention in the 1950s. But it wouldn't be on my top List of drug novels (I don't know who would be requesting this information from me).

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Burroughs recorded passages of the novel himself that were released on records.

UP NEXT: Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis