Paul's Reviews > Junky

Burroughs does not pull any punches in this, his first novel. It is a plain account of the life of a junkie based on his own life. Burroughs describes his experience in a very matter of fact way; the many lows and very few highs. The descriptions of coming off heroin are horrific. It is still difficult to read, but describes a way of life and a downward spiral. The glossary at the end was very necessary for me.
Burroughs illustartes how much junk dominates your life when you are an addict and the effect it can have on your personality and relationships with others. There is one shocking description of cruelty to an animal which comes out of the blue and you realise the irrationality of the whole thing. Junk think is different. Most of the characters flit in and out very briefly and they are a pretty hopeless (in the true meaning of the word) bunch. The novel really did read like one of Dante's seven circles of hell.
Burroughs explodes a few myths in his original introduction, but he creates a few more and medical science has moved on since then. It is the description of the lifestyle and the drivers in the personality of a junkie which are the real strength of the book and now it is almost a piece of social history of a bygone age in relation to the legal and medical situations.
The Penguin Modern Classics edition has a very good introduction of Oliver Harris.
There is a vein of humour running through the novel and Burrough's laconic style works very well