Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Naked Lunch: The Restored Text

Disclaimer: I only read the first 30%. After that, I got the gist and didn't feel the need to read the rest. There's no plot, so it doesn't really matter if you miss some chapters or read it out of order.

After hearing the title mentioned several times over the years, I became curious about Naked Lunch and decided to read it.

In poetic, lyrical, psychedelic language, the author paints a picture of an America addled by junk - that is, opioid drugs in all their forms. Plagued by addicts of every substance under the sun, the society he depicts is in a state of complete moral and physical degradation.

Other words I would use to describe this book: deranged, delirious, fevered, stream of consciousness, extremely offensive, nonsensical, bizarre, and over the top. Don't go into this book expecting a plot, consistent characters, or any shred of common sense. It's not a story at all, it's more like a really long slam poem.

Overall, I found the book more historically interesting than anything else - i.e., what on earth did Burroughs write that caused such a stir at the time? It was interesting to see the author railing against capital punishment, and also how he considered addicts to be sick people suffering an illness rather than being morally bankrupt (which was the dominant opinion at the time).

I am unable to choose a star rating due to how obscenely obscene the book is. However, you may find it interesting to check the book if you're hunting for inspiration to write an insane or delirious character.

Content Warnings

nickreallylovestoread's review against another edition

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I gave this book two chances and I just can’t do it. Read Junky before this and enjoyed the gritty realism mixed with Burroughs’ black comedy, but the vignettes in this book were jagged and incredibly hard to follow. Burroughs must have challenged himself to see how obnoxiously crude he could make depraved sex sequences. Enjoyed dark authors like Bret Easton Ellis, Martin Amis, and Hunter S. Thompson who I realize owe their writings and successes to Burroughs (Amis is debatable) but this goes on too far. I’ll read Queer or Junky if I go back to this author.

Content Warnings

madisontoth's review against another edition

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challenging funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i think this book changed my life. i’ve never read anything like this before in my life and it was so fucking fun!! i’m in love with burroughs’ writing style and every single other book i’ve read after this has just fallen flat. there’s literally nothing like this.

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lain_darko's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Content Warnings

maartjeida's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

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krisdamnit's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The reason I enjoyed this book so much was partially because it's all artsy and clever and avant-garde, but also because it's the book equivalent of a shock image. The amount of stuff that happens in this book, the horrible, horrible stuff, is so just unapologetic that I found myself enjoying the ride, even waiting to see what absolute ridiculous crap would happen next. This definitely isn't the book for you if you don't want to be shocked or have some type of disgusting image seared into your brain, because while I'm not one to quote from books, I won't be forgetting some choice words from this one.

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