Product Description

You may not know it, but you've met Augusten Burroughs. You've seen him on the street, in bars, on the underground, at restaurants: a twenty-something guy, nice suit, works in advertising. Regular. Ordinary. But when the ordinary person had two drinks, Augusten was circling the drain by having twelve; when the ordinary person went home at midnight, Augusten never went home at all. Loud, distracting ties, automated wake-up calls and aftershave on the tongue could only hide so much for so long. At the request (well, it wasn't really a request) of his employers, Augusten lands in rehab, where his dreams of group therapy with Robert Downey Jr are immediately dashed by the grim reality of flourescent lighting and paper hospital slippers. But when Augusten is forced to examine himself, something actually starts to click, and that's when he finds himself in the worst trouble of all. Because when his thirty days are up, he has to return to his same drunken Manhattan life - and live it sober. What follows is a memoir that's as moving as it is funny, as heartbreaking as it is real.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64463 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
'Reading Burroughs is like stopping to gawp at a road accident, only to discover that the Keystone cops are manning the ambulance... [His] bitchy prose is never preachy... Utterly believable and affecting.' Alice Fisher, Time Out 'The horrors of his past are extreme, yet he describes them with such throwaway hilarity that they could be trips to the circus.' Gaby Wood, Observer

Elle
'Wickedly funny, painfully honest, and uber-cool, I haven’t read anything this sharp, hip or honest in my life'

About the Author
Augusten Burroughs lives in New York City. His life story is in his books.

Customer Reviews

Not exactly running on empty
Many will not find Burroughs to be funny. I, however, do. But I also find him disturbing on many levels. RUNNING WITH SCISSORS is by far his best work, but this one is a VERY close second. And if you were wondering what happend to "little" Augusten, well, you have the answer here in DRY. Burroughs is entertaining if nothing else, and you might be put off or find some of the material distasteful, but you will never find it boring. Like the books PRACTICAL DEMON KEEPING or the great and funny BARRING SOME UNFORESEEN ACCIDENT, this novel will stick with you. And don't think that you have to have been on the sauce to relate to the material. Sure, alcohol is a part of the equation, well, most of it, but the story itself is self-contained and real. The somber parts of the book come when Burroughs falls for a crack addict and then his friends begin dropping like files around him. By all means don't confuse this with the Fry book A MILLION LITTLE PIECES as this one is real. That should be enough for you.

A Terrific Memoir
Augusten Burroughs' last book (RUNNING WITH SCISSORS) chronicled his bizarre childhood, including his dysfunctional family, the even more dysfunctional family he lived with when his mother had a series of nervous breakdowns, and his relationship with a pedophile. DRY: A MEMOIR picks up about 10 years later; Burroughs has a successful career in New York advertising and is a raging alcoholic. He's in deep denial about his problem, so he's surprised when his co-workers stage an intervention and even more surprised when he reluctantly agrees to a 30-day rehab stint. The book follows his attempts to remain sober, deal with his past, and cope with some harmful romantic relationships.

The book often skewers the mental health system, replete with therapy-speak, AA meetings, and self-help lingo, However, Burroughs adopts a fairly benign, almost affectionate, tone toward mental health workers. Ultimately, DRY is filled with the kind of wit and attitude you've come to expect from Burroughs. I laughed out loud quite a few times, and I felt some real suspense reading to see whether he'd relapse.

Burroughs is quickly establishing himself as a quirky and talented writer. Although he may be pegged by some as a "gay author," his work is pretty universal and likely to appeal to many different audiences. I most highly recommend this book, and I look forward to reading more of his work.

Eye opener from Burroughs
I read the this book in two sittings, the second through a blinding hangover sprawled across the floor of a devastated hotel suite in Austin, Texas. The tale, showcased by a light-footed and entertaining narrative, highlighted just how ignorant alcoholics are of their own condition, ignorant of the destruction heavy drinking can cause. When I finished the book I actually found myself looking through the yellow pages for an AA meeting in Austin that night. I didn't go - but my last drink was in that hotel suite and that was a month ago. I've never felt better and I owe Burroughs one for that.