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Summary: Essential Burroughs Reading
Review: Junky was William Burroughs's first published novel and therefore his most cautious. Well before his use of the cut-up method in his other books, Junky provides experienced and novice Burroughs readers with an interesting change of scenery. Detailing the life of himself as a heroin addict, Burroughs creates a surrealistic world trapped within the confines of reality. Using his personal experiences and relaying them perfectly on paper is what makes this book so enthralling and utterly terrifying. Being submersed into the jerky, unpredictable yet regimented life of a heroin addict allows you to the experience Burroughs's life not by his rules but by the dictative and fickle rules of the drug itself. Besides being an incredibly candid piece of art by itself, Junky is the perfect companion to contrast to Naked Lunch being as they both relate and exhibit the same drug-induced banter in the same chronological time frame.
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Summary: A shocking and surreal account of heroin addiction
Review: Junky is one of those books that makes you feel weird and detatched as you read it. As you read you feel and see William S. Burroughs' hallucinations. You feel his desparation as he and his friends frantically search for a fix. Books that make me feel something I've never felt before really impress me. William S. Burroughs was a great writer because he had the ability to do that to many people who received his writings and his ideas with open minds. Junky is so real, yet so unreal at the same time. It floats between the two and once in a while touches down to reality to "snap you out of it." Junky makes you realize just how serious and involved heroin addiction really is. Sometimes there's not even a way out. It seems kind of like purgatory in a sense. You're held in limbo waiting for your next fix. "Junk is not, like alcohol or weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life." Junky, William S. Burroughs
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Summary: What was this guy thinking!!!!
Review: i have read two books by burroughs (naked lunch is the other one) and i think that this one confirms my opinion about the author and his work. this guy writes like i did when i was in the fifth grade, i think that the book is missing a little bit of creativity although many people state the contrary.
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Summary: Unexpectedly clear and factual confession from Burroughs
Review: Although it was written earlier, Junky (and other such autobiographical works) will probably always play second fiddle to the outstanding Naked Lunch. Those who enjoyed Naked Lunch may be relieved to see a 'frank' novel from Burroughs (although the type of person who was totally at home with Naked Lunch may find 'frank' novels incomprehensible -- who knows?), but it is important to take Junky as a far more realistic book than Naked Lunch. Gone are the haunting landscapes of Interzone and Freeland; Junky is a real journey through real cities, with real people, one of whom is the author. Any interested in 'beat' novels or those concerning drug use may find Junky a let-down; however, as a reader of Naked Lunch a foremost a Burroughs reader, I found Junky a fascinating insight to the workings of his mind. [The glossary at the back may also help with interpreting his other books.]
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Summary: A response to the "Drugstore Cowboy" review of "Junky"
Review: Junky was written 40 years before Drugstore Cowboy was released. To lable Junky as "another shoot 'em up book" is dismissive and unwarranted. Junky was and is the first book of its kind. I'm certain Gus Van Sant realized this as well when he cast William S. Burroughs in Drugstore Cowboy. When you read "another shoot 'em up book", realize that these other pieces exist because Burroughs had the knowledge and the courage to write a piece this bold and in doing so, paved the way for other herion related works that might not have been published or released as films otherwise.
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Summary: Junky: a commonly misinterpreted work of brilliance
Review: Junky is the kind of novel that you cannot read until you abandon all pretenses. Forget for a moment that this was Burroughs' first book, put aside the fact that he was himself a junky, and put your personal opinions of drug use and abuse, as well as Burroughs himself, on hold. The attempt made by Junky as a piece of art is to honestly and fairly put forward an in-depth look at a side of American life that was virtually overlooked until its publication. The novel delves very deeply into a world that, though many would rather ignore it all together, has gotten progressively worse to this day.
Junky offers a detailed account of a drug addict's entrance into the seedy underworld, his daily search for a fix, the shady characters he must rely on, and the suffering he experiences while trying to fix himself. The purpose is to fully immerse the reader in the world of a man engulfed in addiction.
The hero is actually an intelligent man, who immediately recognizes the risk taken in his experiments with narcotics. He also realizes, although a little too late, the fact that he has become an addict himself, and now needs the drug for basic survival. He is also rational. He recognizes his dismal circumstances, but also recognizes his guilt in the matter, and in no way tries to gain sympathy from the reader. The hero is aware of what he has done to himself, and does nothing to deny his responsibility.
Junky in no way glamorizes drug use; on the contrary, in the sections that describe heroin as appealing, Burroughs is showing the immeasurable control the drug has quietly acquired over the user, distorting the addict's perception of what is happening to him.
Junky pulls the reader into a dark underworld of society and depicts a man's struggle to regain his life, or what's left of it after the plague of addiction is eliminated. Burroughs holds nothing back. He uses a method of detailing the more shocking parts of the hero's experiences with a calm and almost casual frankness. This slowly makes them seem less disturbing, and introduces the reader more and more to the addicts point of view. Burroughs even attempts to alter the reader's point of view, subtly bringing the reader closer to the mind of the junky, and eventually creating an unexpected affection for a seemingly unlovable character, who appears to have very little about him that is redeeming. You begin to care for this lost, pathetic man, as you watch him attempt cure after cure, method after method, finally having to flee the country to avoid prosecution. The reader can do nothing but look on, as each good intention crumbles, making the hero more and more incapable of escaping the grip of the addiction.
Burroughs states many times the degree of influence heroin has over the addict, illustrating how all other activities become less like life and more like a limbo of nothingness between scores. The junky's life is consumed. His days become more and more about scoring, leaving less and less room for anything else. By the time the hero becomes aware of having a problem, it is too late, he has become a slave to the drug. He doesn't need the heroin to simply get high; he needs the heroin because he cannot survive without it. Burroughs states the difference between other drugs, which are about the high they induce, and heroin: "Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life."
There are no hidden intentions in Junky. It does not aspire to create a greater sympathy for drug addicts, nor does it make any gallant attempts at scaring away potential users. Junky has no agenda, good or bad, for its influence in the world. It simply lays out the facts, leaving them for the reader to do what they want with them. The novel is a clear, concise, and direct journey into the mind and world of a man diseased, told in brutally honest narration, without a hint of shame or pity.
This is, in my opinion, a worthy piece of literature to invest the time into reading, not only for a Burroughs fan, but for any reader who enjoys thought-provoking subject-matter and stories containing complex and intriguing characters. Basically, anyone who appreciates well-written fiction has the ability to appreciate the dark, subtle wit and stark, desperate tone of Junky, as long as they read it with an open mind. It is a chronicle, a picture, a record of a dark way of life. And as that, it succeeds.
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Summary: A life of intense interest.
Review: The very first of all burrough's novels,this classic introduction to his huge canon of output is an impressive narrative of his life spent at the beginning of his legendary drug career.From the highly impressive introduction to his final dream of the ultimate fix,the novel takes on a fascinating route towards the underbelly of societal functions in a lifeless & monotonous prose stifness that adds an eluding unique appeal to the character & his story.His experiences opened & enchanted my mind to a broader perspective on life's more sordid glories.
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Summary: A life that hungers for heroin
Review: Junky mainly takes place in New York where William Burroughs spent many years. The book describes the main part of Burroughs life, heroin. In the book he talks about his start with the drug, trying to sell the drug he had such a hunger for, and trips he took out of the city to try and kick his habit. I enjoyed the book greatly because of the way it was written. It was a smooth read and easy to comprehend. It lets you look into the reality of a "junky".
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Summary: Burroughs at his realist best.
Review: Burroughs writes pro-actively and this book is no change. Following Ginsburg 'Semi-compiling" Junky and Queer from letters whilst Burroughs was Opiated up, I knew what to expect. Mexico, The law, Drunk with Guns, Farming cotton, shooting up and New York with the hustlers and pimps in Bars. It's easy to note that Burroughs had an interesting life but experienced through the eye of Junk hazed addiction and vision. Noting anti-estblishment view on matters (namely 'The Junk') which he had first hand experience was not a matter to be taken lightly in 1950's America. This book is accessible and easy to read, the world in Burroughs head is clear and concise. Written in the first person, yuo travel to beat junk time and life with a detail for details. A drugs journey only to be rivaled by Hunter S. Thompson's 'Fear and loathing In Las Vegas', but with a much darker wit.
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Summary: Drug-use made banal
Review: Fans of Burroughs' frantic stream-of-conciousness writing style may be put off by this autobiographical text, which is essentially a lurid dime novel. Burroughs shows us, over and over again, the pros and cons of heroin addiction; we get an idea of what the daily life of a drug addict is, and it's dull. Cutting edge when it was first released, the prose's dated slang gets in the way of the reader taking seriously Burroughs' message. However, those that aren't fans of his more abstract (and more pornographic) works may find this novel more accessible
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