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A review by rhys_thomas_sparey
Junky by William S. Burroughs
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This novel is Burroughs' first attempt to rationalise his place in the world as a story. It is not a reason one comes to love him, but it does provide an informative foundation for the rest of his work.
It is the genesis of his sardonic, edgy humour, as his jokes try but fail to land. For example, he quips that gay men "give me the horrors", Irish faces bear a "peasant intuition, stupidity, shrewdness, and malice", and people with epilepsy are "subnormal". These insults read as regressive and mean, rather than some postmodern reclaiming of prejudice or the damming reflection of an aging capitalist society that Burroughs later becomes capable of.
But perhaps that is the point. Burroughs' character is presented as hopeless, lost and weak, as he navigates prisons, asylums, and slums in the pursuit of crime and addiction. He steals from subway commuters to make a dime and injects junk into his genitals just to feel a rush. Yet, his writing remains palpably sober. The world is not as hallucinatory as in later novels, which frames him as a tragic figure rather than a bemused proto-punk. It is in this book that Burroughs' cool highbrow persona is rooted in the material preconditions of drug use and queerness.
His appropriation of contemporaneous jazz vernacular feels forced ("hip", "cat", etc.). There is a sense that he is not writing in his own voice. Perhaps, that is appropriate for the sober, external view he offers of himself, but it is not compelling, and makes for jagged and dry prose. Nevertheless, it is interesting to see Burroughs settle into a way of writing that aptly expresses his dissatisfaction with American modernity and the personal tragedies inflicted upon him that forcibly alienate him from it.
Indeed, both Junky and Queer are likely necessary pillars for supporting the significantly more technically experimental and politically efficacious literature in which Burroughs eventually thrives.
It is the genesis of his sardonic, edgy humour, as his jokes try but fail to land. For example, he quips that gay men "give me the horrors", Irish faces bear a "peasant intuition, stupidity, shrewdness, and malice", and people with epilepsy are "subnormal". These insults read as regressive and mean, rather than some postmodern reclaiming of prejudice or the damming reflection of an aging capitalist society that Burroughs later becomes capable of.
But perhaps that is the point. Burroughs' character is presented as hopeless, lost and weak, as he navigates prisons, asylums, and slums in the pursuit of crime and addiction. He steals from subway commuters to make a dime and injects junk into his genitals just to feel a rush. Yet, his writing remains palpably sober. The world is not as hallucinatory as in later novels, which frames him as a tragic figure rather than a bemused proto-punk. It is in this book that Burroughs' cool highbrow persona is rooted in the material preconditions of drug use and queerness.
His appropriation of contemporaneous jazz vernacular feels forced ("hip", "cat", etc.). There is a sense that he is not writing in his own voice. Perhaps, that is appropriate for the sober, external view he offers of himself, but it is not compelling, and makes for jagged and dry prose. Nevertheless, it is interesting to see Burroughs settle into a way of writing that aptly expresses his dissatisfaction with American modernity and the personal tragedies inflicted upon him that forcibly alienate him from it.
Indeed, both Junky and Queer are likely necessary pillars for supporting the significantly more technically experimental and politically efficacious literature in which Burroughs eventually thrives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicide, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Death, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Terminal illness, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicide attempt