A review by h_motionless
Cities of the Red Night by William S. Burroughs

adventurous dark medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

Burroughs is such a complicated author for me - this is my sixth book of his that I’ve read, and I’m still unsure as to whether I like him or not, but there’s always something that draws me towards his books that I can’t quite label. Cities of the Red Night has the most distinguishable narrative out of any of Burroughs’ works (maybe besides Junky and Queer) but it remains mostly nonsensical throughout the entire book. You very rarely know what’s going on, making the book feel like a malignant and confusing psychedelic trip. I enjoyed this novel significantly more than the cut-up texts of Naked Lunch or The Soft Machine, and far more than the wholly ridiculous The Wild Boys, but it still doesn’t reach the level of amazement I experienced from reading Queer a few years ago. Burroughs has so much potential, and his writing fascinates me, but I think I have to let his bibliography sit with me for a few more years before I can confidently consolidate my thoughts on him and his books.