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Dry (Hardcover)

by Augusten Burroughs (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 296 pages
  • Publisher: Atlantic Books; First Edition edition (13 May 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 184354184X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1843541844
  • Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14.2 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 95,444 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review
"'Laughter on the road to sobriety for aficionados of outrageous black comedy' New York Times; 'Burroughs is a brilliant writer - wickedly funny, painfully honest, and uber-cool, I haven't read anything this sharp, hip or honest in my life.' Elle (US)"

Augusten Burroughs, author of the alternately outrageous and uproarious Running with Scissors, is back with the next instalment of his memoirs. Now aged 24, and a high-flying advertising executive, Burroughs is also an alcoholic who is hanging onto his job and his sanity by the skin of his teeth. One disastrous launch too many, and he is given an ultimatum - sober up or get out. Dry chronicles Burroughs' painful struggle to quit the booze and get his life back on track, via the gruelling intensity of rehab at the Proud Institute, specialising in treating gays with addiction problems, and the constant round of AA meetings and therapy. This could have been a self-indulgent humourless diatribe against the evils of drink: instead it is a powerful, heart-rending account of one man's battle to come to terms with his weaknesses. Burroughs is painfully honest - he is conceited, shallow, thoughtlessly cruel and lazy, but he is only too aware of his failings, and the poignancy of this book is the Herculean effort he makes to change himself, to become a better person. He also possesses an innate ability to laugh at himself - Dry is shot through with the same self-deprecating wit of his first book But when his HIV positive ex-lover, Pighead, falls ill, Burroughs finds his new-found self-confidence put to the test. Still raw from an intense relationship with a crack cocaine addict, faced with the prospect of Pighead's death, the temptation to have just one drink may prove too hard to resist. (Kirkus UK)

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

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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Not exactly running on empty, 25 Jan 2009
This review is from: Dry (Paperback)
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.
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27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Terrific Memoir, 10 Sep 2003
By Westley (Stuck in my head) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Dry: A Memoir (Hardcover)
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.

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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Could have been better, 9 Jun 2005
By J. Marshall (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Dry (Paperback)
Firstly, despite all the blurb on the cover, this book really isn't "outrageously funny" or "hilarious" etc., etc.. In my opinion it's just moderately humorous - no more, no less. Still, it is a fairly gripping read, especially for any 12-steppers. What is perhaps not quite believable is that - despite being a raging drunk - he get's instantly sober with one visit to a clinic and remains like that for what seems to be months. That's a bit unusual and makes me think that perhaps he wasn't really at rock-bottom in the first place. And, as another reviewer remarked, a lot of the bits about AA Meetings and recovery etc. really do write themselves. Nevertheless, it's an entertaining read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Burroughs normally 'Dry' humour doesn't appear in this novel...
...But don't let you put this off. Dry is a detailed memoir of Burroughs struggle with Alcoholism and how it affects everyone around him. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ms. K. Russell

5.0 out of 5 stars I laughed out loud a lot
I loved this book. I have read most of Augusten Burrows's books and this was by far my favourite, he is laugh out loud naughty and is well able to describe the journey through... Read more
Published 11 months ago by A. Martin

5.0 out of 5 stars dry, unlike my eyes!!
I highly recommend that everyone buy this book, especially those who have read running with scissors (an amazing account of his developmental years). Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. M. A. Buckley

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
One of the best books I've read in a long time: I couldn't put it down. Some laugh out loud parts coupled with some real tear jerking moments. Read more
Published 17 months ago by M. T. Peakin

5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny and very thoughtful
This is one of my new favorite books. I couldn't put it down and finished it within one or two sittings. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Kendra

5.0 out of 5 stars An eye opening read, hugely recommended to anyone.
I bought this book as a random purchase from a book store, and never regretted it for a second..

I couldn't put this book down. Read more
Published on 25 Aug 2006 by K. Farrell

4.0 out of 5 stars A little "dry" at times
After i read runnning with scissors i had to read dry! it was good, and i did read it in a day, but i felt parts of it dragged on at times. Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2006 by cassinigirl2

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent writer
I read Burroughs 'Running with scissors' in the space of a day, and laughed/gasped all the way through it. Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2005 by lilaclucy

3.0 out of 5 stars Annoying
This is a hugely fluent and well-written book about alcoholism and indirectly about the nature and effect of addiction. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2005 by G. L. Haggett

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius, pure genius
I really think that Burroughs could turn the direst, most pathetic, saddest, emotionally draining moments of anyone's life into a wry, amusing, slice of real life to be savoured,... Read more
Published on 12 May 2005 by primitivegrrl

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