Book Review – Naked Lunch, William S. Burroughs

This is not a lazy Sunday afternoon read.

This is a book composed of a series of vignettes pertaining to drug use (especially 'junk' - heroin), sex, sexuality, violence, authority, death, and a poor grasp on true human anatomy and medicine.

It reads like a stream of consciousness and the reader would be forgiven for getting lost along the way.

The language is crude and riddled with slang. The author’s own understanding of the human brain, body, and the nature of drug mechanisms seems childish and uneducated (now days). 

It covers some topics which are quite disturbing (paedophilia, murder, unethical medical practice), but even the less ‘confronting’ parts will leave you feeling weird and uncomfortable.

**I would like to add that I made the mistake of listening to ‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears, while midway reading this, making me feel even weirder.

The song ran an upsetting current through my ectoplasm.

One of the three main works amongst the Beat generation (alongside Allen Ginsberg's Howl (1956), and Jack Kerouac's On the Road (1957)), it was involved in court battles over obscenity and lead to greater freedom in what could be published in the United States.

While I understand the importance of this work, I cannot honestly recommend it to anyone.

Overall: 1/5