The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
crufts's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
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.
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
Graphic: Biphobia, Body horror, Cannibalism, Homophobia, Addiction, Blood, Lesbophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Self harm, and Vomit
Minor: Transphobia
Please seriously consider the content warnings in this and other reviews. The author wrote the book intending to bring light to the "naked" reality of drug addiction and moral decay that he observed and experienced.However, I will note that there are hardly any named or recurring characters, and there's a certain fever-dream-like quality to the writing style. As a result, many of these scenes come off as more bizarre than distressing.
Again, please be warned, the book basically consists of one gross and deranged scene after another.
nickreallylovestoread's review against another edition
I gave this book two chances and I just canât do it. Read Junky before this and enjoyed the gritty realism mixed with Burroughsâ 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. Iâll read Queer or Junky if I go back to this author.Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, Rape, Murder, Gore, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Sexual violence
gleerest's review against another edition
challenging
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Racial slurs, Addiction, Violence, and Death
grantsharpies's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual violence, Drug use, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Excrement, Rape, and Pedophilia
lain_darko's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Vomit, Violence, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical content, Homophobia, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Drug use, Drug abuse, Cursing, Body horror, Antisemitism, and Addiction
emcee_othello's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I donât think William S. Burroughs meant for anyone to understand Naked Lunch. I doubt even he completely understood what heâd made, especially if weâre to trust his assertion that he wrote most of it while strung out on heroin. But even after heâd sobered up and began editing, I think Burroughs recognized the hallucinogenic potency of his words and decided that the toxic prose contained in Naked Lunch was the only true and unabridged way to represent the life of a junkie.
Burroughs insisted that drug addiction was a diseaseâa âjunk virusâ that threatened humanity as much as any other deadly ailment. But he also recognized that heroin abuse could only be promulgated in a capitalist system. Drugs are the perfect commodity. They sate a primal appetite for pleasure, turn ordinary people into lifelong customers, and most importantly transform a curious mind into one wholly dependent on product. Addicts move at the whims of pushersâdesperate to feed a fix, made to wait for hours or days, and always in the losing position in a bargain. It could be an allegory for consumerism if opioid abuse wasnât still an epidemic today.
If Naked Lunch is about anything, itâs about the miserable life of an addict. The paranoia, the sickness, the lethargy of being hooked on heroin. But itâs also about the world that addiction createsâthe âperfect capitalismâ of the drug market. Naked Lunch is as much about sickness as it is about how drug pushers both illegal and corporate exploit and experiment on people. Burroughs insinuates that the pusher, the pharmacist, the CIA are all just as addicted to power and control as their customers are to their product. See the junkies go ape as they tear each other apart and hang themselves for sex. See the scientist observing from a window, hands soaked in blood, shaking his head in disappointment. See it here, then look around you; you might be eating at the same lunch, too.
Burroughs insisted that drug addiction was a diseaseâa âjunk virusâ that threatened humanity as much as any other deadly ailment. But he also recognized that heroin abuse could only be promulgated in a capitalist system. Drugs are the perfect commodity. They sate a primal appetite for pleasure, turn ordinary people into lifelong customers, and most importantly transform a curious mind into one wholly dependent on product. Addicts move at the whims of pushersâdesperate to feed a fix, made to wait for hours or days, and always in the losing position in a bargain. It could be an allegory for consumerism if opioid abuse wasnât still an epidemic today.
If Naked Lunch is about anything, itâs about the miserable life of an addict. The paranoia, the sickness, the lethargy of being hooked on heroin. But itâs also about the world that addiction createsâthe âperfect capitalismâ of the drug market. Naked Lunch is as much about sickness as it is about how drug pushers both illegal and corporate exploit and experiment on people. Burroughs insinuates that the pusher, the pharmacist, the CIA are all just as addicted to power and control as their customers are to their product. See the junkies go ape as they tear each other apart and hang themselves for sex. See the scientist observing from a window, hands soaked in blood, shaking his head in disappointment. See it here, then look around you; you might be eating at the same lunch, too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, and Violence
Itâs some crazy stuff! Very obscene.maartjeida's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Death
krisdamnit's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Excrement, Gore, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Addiction, and Blood
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