Lust & Wonder

October 26, 2015
In this seventh autobiographical work, bestselling author Burroughs describes life after rehab. Back in N.Y.C. as a freelance ad copywriter, Burroughs keeps finding what he thinks must be love, only to discover that he’s missed the target again. Romantic dead-ends intertwine with whirlwind literary success and Burroughs comes to the age-old realization that money and fame don’t buy happiness, especially for someone with anxiety disorders and severe childhood trauma. Struggling in a purgatory of mediocre relationships, Burroughs is sustained by a recurring dream of a handsome blond man driving a Jeep, a dream that becomes reality. Burroughs has been mining his life since 2002, and once-rich veins seem to be exhausted. Though his wit still shines and stings, this effort is troubled by odd gaps and omissions. One example, of several, is the failure to make more of Burroughs’s romance with a man dying of AIDS. Burroughs did cover that relationship (in Dry), but neglects it here, sacrificing coherence to avoid repetition. Potentially fascinating material, such as his debilitating anxiety and a compulsion to buy precious gems (to the point of bankruptcy), is similarly abbreviated. Fourteen years after Running with Scissors, Burroughs seems to be pacing in circles.

July 4, 2016
Over the past decade and a half, Burroughs has established himself as a leading figure in a realm that blends elements of memoir and autobiography with a variety of other literary genres. He also maintains a solid track record for performing the audio editions of his own works in a straightforward conversational manner that engages the listener as a confidante and coconspirator. Burroughs’s latest explores the less-than-rosy aspects of literary success and the pitfalls of settling into a long-term relationship lacking passion and spontaneity. He hasn’t lost his edge, displaying a distinct ability to use changes in pitch and tone to convey shifting emotional perspective. Burroughs switches back and forth between deadpan monotone and raging histrionics as events unfold. Some of the cathartic moments of the narrative shine more than the others in the audio edition, especially when formerly hard-partying Burroughs finds himself becoming addicted to buying jewelry on the Internet. Fans of Burroughs will not be disappointed. A St. Martin’s hardcover.