Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Naakte lunch by William S. Burroughs

35 reviews

challenging dark informative reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: N/A
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark funny tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It feels kinda criminal to give this such a low rating but I really struggled to get through this one. There were so many key elements (namely surrealism, LGBTQ+ commentary, and raw depictions of addiction) that I know have had an influence on some of my favorite pieces of media and I absolutely recognize the relevance and importance of this book. Not sure if it was the lack of narrative or the writing style but this unfortunately just wasn’t for me. I still want to try and read Junky to see if Burroughs’ narrative writing style is more my speed. 

Tldr: I appreciate this book for what it is and what it stands for, it just didn’t do it for me. :(

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: N/A
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional funny reflective relaxing sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: N/A
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: N/A
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: N/A
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book is like going through a fever dream. It's crass, filled with drug and sex references, and definitely an excellent representation of the Beat generation. Would I read it again? Not sure, probably not.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
nhecker's profile picture

nhecker's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 50%

I needed to read this book for Grad School. I read enough to do my assignments. It's so obscene, it's uncomfortable to read

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark funny informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: N/A
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Estoy muy confundidx. Voy a ver si puedo comentar un poco mi experiencia de lectura porque creo que importa para explicar mi reseña.

Me costó muchísimo leer este libro. No estaba preparadx para nada para las dificultades que me iba a presentar el acto de leerlo. Estas vienen dadas por dos aspectos: una es la forma (son viñetas, fragmentos, que no siguen una lógica cronológica ni de encadenamiento consecuente entre ellas. El cambio de un intercambio a otro se me escapaba todo el tiempo), y lo otro es el lenguaje. Estas son ambas marcas del posmodernismo norteamericano, hecho del que me di cuenta más o menos a la mitad de la lectura. Eso ayudó un poco con la confución y consecuente aceptación de que no iba a entenderlo y ya, no hasta que leyera palabras de otrxs lectores o crpiticxs.

Gramaticalmente, me resultó complejo, pero, por lejos, lo más difícil fue lo anclado que estaban los modismos epocales, el slang. Lo pesado de los términos científicos y la especificidad de la droga, eso me lo esperaba, pero no en la forma en que llegó. El señor en serio dijo "estudio de campo o nada".

Los comentarios finales de la edición que leí fueron muy útiles para ver más o menos ordenados en palabras bonitas las cosas... "recuperables" de este libro. Me gustó muchísimo la idea del escritor como un registro sin filtro de las cosas que suceden, y creo que (en algunas partes más que en otras) esto se aprecia bastante (aunque si es claro o no, depende del lector. A mí me lo tuvo que decir Burroughs mismo cerca del final del libro). Aún así, la trama se me escapó, y eso me causa más confusión, al punto en que me molesta. Recupero las palabras de Ulwin para ir terminando, quien dice que "yes, Naked Lunch is iconic, but in a secondhand sort of way. For all its notoriety, it remains most recognizable in pieces ... rather than as an integrated effort on its own terms" (p. 290). 

En esa misma línea, les dejo uno de mis pasajes favoritos:

Gentle reader, we see God through our assholes in the flash bulb of orgasm ... Through these orifices transmute your body ... The way OUT is the way IN ... (p. 191)

(Y sí, estoy pensando en I Saw the TV Glow).

Expand filter menu Content Warnings