Possible Side Effects

February 20, 2006
These often hilarious, sometimes contrived essays put the "me" in "confessional memoir" front and center. Burroughs recounts scenes from the floridly dysfunctional childhood chronicled in his bestselling Running with Scissors
, along with vignettes from various bad jobs, including his travails at an ad agency, and his life as a famous writer. His theme is himself: his struggles with alcoholism, a voracious Nicorette habit, compulsive Web surfing, slovenliness, social isolation, unfitness for employment, gross bodily emissions and general embarrassment at being alive. The thin story lines—a visit from the tooth fairy, a trip to the doctor, house-training a puppy—suggest that Burroughs's well-mined vein of life experience may be played out. He fattens up the material—a (Frey-inspired?) disclaimer warns some events have been "expanded and changed"—in ways that sometimes ring false, especially in his childhood reminiscences, which are improbably detailed and infused with an adult sense of camp. Often, though, the only thing animating the writing is the author's perverse imagination. Fortunately, Burroughs has superb comic sensibility, throwing off sparkling riffs on everyday humiliations in a voice that's alternately caustic and warm, bitchy and self-deprecating. His self-involvement can get claustrophobic, but when he steps outside his head no one is funnier or more perceptive.

May 1, 2006
Nostalgia, entertainment and humor are possible side effects of listening to this audiobook. Burroughs delivers a slew of reflections about both serious and mundane aspects of his life. His style of delivery fluctuates from piece to piece so one is never sure what the theme or moral is until he finishes. When he's not highlighting the idiosyncrasies of humanity or his own eccentricities, he romanticizes life in New York City, plots John Updike's death and expounds upon the love of his partner or pets. Though his performance keeps listener's attention, it's far from stellar. He fluctuates with character accents. He voices all of his women in the same tone and quality. His overemphasis with expletives often detracts because it's not usually necessary; expletives will stand out on their own. His youthful voice does help legitimate the stories in that the experiences shared need vibrancy to imply truthfulness. Light and endearing with the occasional somber thought, this audiobook takes hold of listeners from the beginning and carries them through adventures and mishaps that prove worth the trip. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover (Reviews, Feb. 20).

April 15, 2006
This collection of short pieces is a delightful, enjoyable, and often humorous take on everything from the author -s Nicorette Gum addiction to discovering what the tooth fairy really meant as a child. Burroughs -s previous three memoirs -"Running with Scissors", "Dry", and "Magical Thinking" -have been highly regarded, turning him into something of a publishing phenomenon ("Running with Scissors" alone has sold a staggering one million copies). This book is yet another testament to his wild imagination and could keep the readers up at night as well as help the author gain a whole new legion of fans. Burroughs ducks the current controversy regarding memoir by cleverly explaining that some events happened as indicated while others were altered; the ostensibly real-life stories suggest an eccentric childhood indeed and are sure to enthrall readers. The film version of "Running with Scissors", being directed by Emmy Award -nominated writer/director Ryan Murphy ("Nip/Tuck"), began filming in March 2005 with a stellar cast that includes Annette Bening, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alec Baldwin, Jill Clayburgh, and Joseph Cross (as Burroughs). A memorable book; highly recommended for public libraries." -Sue McClellan, Avalon P.L., Pittsburgh"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2006
Burroughs is the author of" " the memoir " Running with Scissors " (2002), a "runaway" best-seller, and an equally popular collection of essays, " Magical Thinking " (2004). In light of recent publishing events vis-a-vis truth versus truth-stretching in memoir writing, it is interesting to note the author's prefatory comments in this, his latest collection of memoir-essays. He indicates that some events recounted in the pieces have been "expanded and changed" and that some of the "individuals portrayed are composites of more than one person." What follows is a series of funny, extremely eloquent takes on modern life and Burroughs' own particular responses to life's various stimuli. "Bloody Sunday" begins with a nosebleed on an airplane flight from New York to London and then describes his reluctance to get out and enjoy the sights once there. "The Sacred Cow" is a very sweet story about getting a second bulldog, and now both his dogs, the new one and the older one, are "more precious to me than anything." And "Killing John Updike" finds Burroughs collecting Updike first editions before he dies ("If I was going to spend two thousand dollars on a book about a rabbit, that old man better be dead by morning, or I was going to be furious"). Irreverence done to an amusing turn. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)