Of course, with Burrough's later works, this much is obvious from page one. "Junky", however, is written as a very basic first-person narrative and doesn't use the elaborate and often extremely disturbing language found in, for example, "Naked Lunch." Yet, nonetheless, the absurdity and no-holds-barred attitude is still present, albeit implicit. Although i do not have the book in front of me, i would venture to say that there are not 2 consecutive pages in this book that do not in some way relate to heroin or some other addiction (Burrough's even becomes an alcoholic to the extent that his skin yellows). The main character ends up merely searching for a new addiction; what is so troubling about this book (or, to say the same thing, what is so marvelous), is the apparent lack of concern it shows for what are usually considered to be rather disgusting acts. Addiction is described in a chillingly matter-of-fact manner. This is not to say that the horrors are not described as really horrible and disgusting. Yet Burroughs tells us of "junk addiction" and the "junk equation" as if he is telling us of his life as any man would, only that his life revolves around heroin (we could say "addiction", but Burroughs believes that we are all addicts in some sense of the word). Overall, this is a book that should probably be read at least twice to grasp to the pyschotic nature beneath the dry, gray surface.
