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1.07k reviews for:

Naked lunch

William S. Burroughs

3.16 AVERAGE

challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
challenging dark funny medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: N/A

this is the most difficult book i've read thus far, and is exactly how you should imagine a novel that is written by a man who spent years in a hotel room alone on every drug know to man. it is less than 200 pages of pure frustration. like most people, i hate the 5 star rating system because i dont know how i should judge: on how well i enjoyed the book or on how well it is written. I usually give three stars when i hate the book but respect and appreciate it, or if i love the book but dont respect and appreciate it. that's what i have done here.

Makes me never want to touch heroin, so I think the book did its job.

I feel as though this would have been more enjoyable if I understood some of the references, but I also recognize that the novel isn’t about “understanding” as much as it is about experiencing. I definitely enjoyed the Appendix section of the book the most as reading about his experiences and opinions on different drugs and treatments was certainly fascinating.

I definitely have some negative takeaways regarding how Burroughs approaches/discusses the topic of race and his usage of racial slurs as well as his views on women. Interesting guy, nonetheless.
challenging dark slow-paced
challenging slow-paced
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging dark
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: N/A
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This might be the strangest book I’ve ever read, and I don’t know how I feel about it. I don’t get it but I do feel connected to what Burroughs has created

So wrong, it's right.
ულამაზესი და უდიადესი ბოდვა შემომეკითხა.
dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: N/A
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

One of the most disgusting books I’ve ever read. In a good way. This is incredibly raw and emotionally provocative. Told in a series of disjointed, hallucinatory vignettes, it DEEPLY explores drug addiction, sexuality, and violence. 

The core message (to me) is anti-control. The book is so powerful that it left its pages and exerted its message IRL, becoming a landmark in resisting US government censorship of art and language. It was like Naked Lunch was THE fork in the road. We picked the right direction, and here I am enjoying (?) it today. I can feel its influence echoing through so much later postmodern literature I love (Pynchon, DFW, others). At the moment the US could’ve veered towards repression, Naked Lunch helped push us towards freedom. 
adventurous fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

it felt on brand that this book smelled of cigarettes and I used a bandaid as a bookmark