rating: 7/10 stars
summary: Bill explains the drug scene during post world war II america. It's a journal of one man's experience with heroin, and the culture that surrounds it.
review: "JUNK" has made me a big fan of William S. Burroughs. I think it's an accurate and timeless portrayal of an addict's lifestyle, and the characters that you would meet.
writing style: It is a work of great prose that materializes the hip life of a 50's street hustler through first person insight. Most of the novel feels like you are experiencing bills life through a drug induced trance with periods of intermittent withdrawal.
summation: This book is extremely anticlimactic to where it feels very abrupt. It's hard to say whether this hurts the story since it really doesn't have an intricate plot. The secondary characters tended to blend together on me, although they are honest portrayals of the petty criminal element that is ubiquitous in the drug culture. Some characters are forgotten altogether but really don't feel too important to the narrative of Bill's survival from heroin addiction. I enjoyed it thoroughly, despite these critiques, and would highly recommend it to the literary enthusiast. Burroughs' pervasive sardonic humor with deadpan honesty is the most charming element to what I would consider a classic. A book that embodies the counterculture ideology of the beat generation.
reviewed by paul
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave your thoughts, advice, opinions, and suggestions. Comments are moderated to limit spam or trolls. Thank you for reading and leaving us feedback! Your ideas help us grow and get better!