It's a scream.

I loved this. Like all Augusten Burroghs books, he writes with no filters. It's raw, moving, funny and sometimes almost painful to read. If you've never read any of his before, it's a brilliant introduction to his writing, though I'd recommend you read the two bios first because then you'd get a lot more out of it. From his impressive and scary alchohol consumption and his ongoing obsession with his hair, we move from old favourite subjects to new including dogs and his grandmothers. Did I say I loved this?

2.5- Ugh I love Augusten Burroughs so much and so many of these stories were great but sometimes I was so uncomfy by some of the language that definitely didn't age well. like raunchiness that fell very short but idk i still love AB. although it’s 2/5 instead of 3/5- but that’s only to lower my average review as i’m trying to be a little bit more critical about the words i engage with

Augusten Burroughs is one of my favorite writers. I love a person who can use their own life experiences, tell a story, make me laugh and learn something about myself all at the same time.

I really liked Running with Scissors. I know some of it was disturbingly wrong, but it was so so funny. Knowing that story, I know he couldn't have possibly escaped without some neuroses, if not flat out damage.

Possible Side Effects shows those neuroses in full light. It is told with a self-deprecating sense of humor and a general deviance. In this collection, he convinces a lesbian friend to write the longest personal ad New York Magazine has ever seen and then tricks her into sabotaging the resulting relationship. He talks in a number of the stories about his early childhood, his crippling fear of the tooth fairy, his desire to be Julia Child, as well as his unrelenting alcohol problem and his addiction to nicotine gum.

While I found some of his stories to be very funny, I winced at many of them - mostly due to his own bad behavior. Be prepared.

RE-READ 03/09/2014

I think my reaction to Augusten Burroughs's short stories is based on my mood.

If I am in an exceptionally great mood - happy, well-fed, just had a great conversation or meal with a friend - I think his stories are hilarious. I laugh out loud and grin. "Oh, Augusten," I think, shaking my head in amazement. "You're so funny!"

But if it's any other time - then I see Augusten Burroughs as a man who has suffered through a lot of pain. And I think his stories are a reflection of that.

The truth is a mixture of both.

Burroughs is a wonderful writer. He has an uncanny way of guiding you through a story so that you end up just where he wants you to be. Sometimes that's not at all the place you thought you'd end up when the story started out.

To reiterate: Burroughs had the childhood from hell. (Read a review of RUNNING WITH SCISSORS). And I believe that this childhood turned him into a selfish, very damaged person who is only able to see other people are selfish and damaged. This makes him mean. And of course, it's funny. It's very funny to read someone make mean, truthful observations about life - things that you yourself would never think or say...but you can't exactly fault his reasoning either.

But the reason I find this less than enjoyable most of the time is because it makes me sad that he thinks humans are so...well, not exactly evil, but only out for themselves - selfish and ruthless in equal parts.

When I finish a book by him, I can shake off this gloomy worldview and return to my normal, cheerful self. But I know that he can't.

Some of these stories are about his childhood, some are about his job at the ad agency, some are about being a writer, some are about dogs. There's at least 3 dog stories in this book. Some are about his long alcoholic period.

The best story in the book, by far, is KITTY, KITTY about a time when a severely alcoholic Burroughs buys a Wheaton terrier from a puppy mill pet store. He names it KittyKitty. His descriptions of the idiot dog and how it acted were truly hilarious. I laughed so hard tears came to my eyes. Someone heard me laughing como una loca (like a madwoman) and asked me what was so funny. So I handed her the book and said "Read this story." She did, and when she brought the book back, she said, "That was so sad." What? That wasn't the reaction I had - or the reaction I expected her to have. But she was looking at it from a different perspective - Burroughs is a drunk in this story who's life is falling apart. He's in no position to care for a dog - and at the end of the story,  he gives up the dog for adoption because he knows he's not doing right by the animal  Same story, but we had totally different reactions.

You could interpret the whole book this way. You could just choose to focus on the funny part of a story - the part of the story that makes you laugh because Burroughs is hilarious and he wants you to laugh. Or, you could focus on this constant dark undertone that's in every single thing he writes. I'M DAMAGED!, he screams. Pain bleeds from the pages and it really does make your heart hurt when it all sinks in.

SAMPLE: (from Kitty, Kitty) I named him KittyKitty. Because he looked like a kitty. But twice the size. And he was so gentle and sweet that for the first two weeks I thought he might be mildly retarded. His kind brown eyes were always half-closed and he licked my hand, even after I pulled it away. His little tongue just continued lick, lick, licking the air. It was endearing, but also a little pathetic. Yet I knew I'd made a good purchase because he was almost no trouble at all, like a potted cactus. He made less noise than my answering machine, and housebreaking was easy because my floor was already covered with magazines and foreign newspapers, which I couldn't read and only bought because I was pretentious.

But by the third week KittyKitty became alarmingly energized, as if awakened from a long, deep hibernation.

When he wasn't barking at the exact frequency that causes windows to shake, he was leaping from the sofa to the floor to the chair and then running full speed down the hall to the front door, sliding into it and knocking the jackets hung on it to the floor.

This is a fast moving light hearted book that had me laughing throughout. If you are a fan of Augustien Burroughs & have read some of his other books, this is perfect for you as you know his background. Even if you don't know anything abut him, I think you will enjoy this although I don't know that you will "get" all of his crazyness with acceptance.

This is really 3.5 stars. I'd have given it 4 stars if it had maintained it's momentum. But I felt the last 1/4 of the collection really lost momentum. I enjoy Burroughs more when his sardonism is generalized--somehow when he delves into his immediate family (grandmothers excluded, I loved the bits with his grandmothers), there's a detachment-without-perspective tone that left me a little cold. The book started strong, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable read, but I just can't give it 4 stars in the realm of my personal system.

All that said, if you enjoy irony, self-deprecating but also self-amused humor, smart/subtle writing that often delves into our humanity in relation to pop culture, you'll enjoy this read.

Reminiscent of the works of David Sedaris (amusing anecdotes told tongue-in-cheek and very much informed by the sexual identity of the author) these stories lack the reluctant depth that keeps Sedaris afloat. Although Burroughs has clearly endured some trying experiences, he lacks either the writing chops or the perspective to transfer them to the page in a non-static way. Although some of his tales are lovely and funny, some of them fall quite flat, as though tossed in between the real stories to bulk up the length. He also has an annoying habit of throwing in a trite one-liner ending as a substitute for a substantive development of some kind of point to the story.

I haven't read "Running With Scissors," but I'd like to, if only to see where all the hype comes from--and if it's justified, why his novel might be so different from his short stories. It's not that I'm not enjoying the collection; it's just not the sort of book I would advertise that I enjoy.

Another audio book we listened to on a road trip. We recently lost our little doggy of 10+ years and have been uber-serious, sad, anxious, irritable, numb, depressed-- grieving our loss. Augusten Burroughs read this book about his chaotic, crazy life and we were soon belly-laughing our way through BC and Alberta. The pathos-driven black humour is underscored by the author's superb gifts to entertain while drawing out our memories and reflections of how lonely, sad, confusing, frustrating, and painful life can be. And then, the punchline saves the day.

These memories must have written with the clear intention of being read aloud by the author. I highly recommend it for any ADULT who is having a struggle with coming out of a funk.

What's unfortunate about this book is many of Burroughs' misses are huge misses. His hits are brilliant. Its the people in life that make his writing rich and interesting instead of the use of rhetoric.

Всяка глава от книгата е отделна случка от живота на автора. Това е живот на съвременен човек, с проблемите на съвременния човек - алкохолизъм, самота, липса на разбирателство, но всичко разказано много весело, леко, непринудено.
Написана много остроумно, с добро чувство за хумор книга, която донякъде напомня да добрите години на Бегбеде, но без неприятната претенция на французина.
Много одобрявам и ще прочета още от този американец.