Well. That was a bit of a depressing book. But also very raw and moving.

Dry was about Augusten Burrow’s struggle with his inner alcoholic, his quest for love, and his encounter with loss. Written in his sarcastic, pessimistic tone, the prose was beautiful yet haunting. I chuckled a few times at his dark humor. The writing was wordy at times, but he really opened up and examined his feelings to produce this extremely honest and harrowing book.

This book will truly take you into the mind of an alcoholic both during his sobriety and relapse. It will make you feel uncomfortable, much in the way I imagine he felt during this time in his life. I can’t say I loved it but I was captivated by his story. It pulled my heartstrings in the worst way.

I don’t really have much to say about it, it could’ve been less wordy, as I personally don’t care for mundane, extraneous details. It read more like a novel than a memoir. But it was still a engrossing read, even in the darkest sections. It’ll sit with me like a bad taste in my mouth, but I think that is the purpose that the book serves, to illuminate the struggles of an alcoholic.

I think I would better enjoy his memoir, Running With Scissors, because the inner-monologues about drinking got a bit repetitive.

Dry, by Augusten Burroughs is empowering and a more realistic memoir of sobriety and the struggles and hurdles he must endure to stay sober. Augusten grieves the loss of alcohol, living life without it is equal to losing that good old dependable friend. A new battle in life has commenced. Augusten is forced to examine his life, to get a microscopic view of it and additionally address all of those emotions and feelings that were trapped inside his heart and soul like an uncorked bottle of wine under pressure. This book was like a fine wine, but instead of alcohol running through your veins it is replaced with a warm feeling in your heart.

The prose was powerful, intoxicating and exhilarating and I was rooting for Augusten right from the very beginning and it is so well written that you feel you are on the path toward sobriety right along with him. From his forced incarceration at rehab, the reader is there walking in Augusten’s shoes and you too loathe the person who is trying to sabotage his recovery, however, Augusten falls from grace by his own doing and you too feel his pain coupled with disappointment and emptiness. It takes guts and courage to be open and honest about your demons. This was a great read !!

I'm so very tired... I'll have to come back to discuss. But, I did enjoy this immensely... (can you enjoy immensely? I don't know anymore... so tired...)

Burroughs is narcissistic hedonist. After listening to the first fifteen minutes I almost quit digusted with him. I hate quitting though. So I kept listening and soon appreciated his resilience. It also opened my eyes to the prevalence of alcoholism, and the addicts nature. I don't think I could have read it, but listening while commuting made it possible. While I found Magical Thinking hilarious and Running with Scissors interesting, Dry was not in their league.

Augusten Burrough's Dry is a memoir, I think. The blurb on the back explains that it's about his struggle with alcoholism. The genre label on the back cover indicates memoir. However, it was in my library's fiction section. Color me confused.

Dry is addicting. How ironic, considering it's about kicking addiction. The people (are they characters? are they amalgams of several people? see what happens when memoirs are in the fiction section?) are vivid and the story is enticing. The life of a rich ad exec crumbling under the allure of liquor. His crackhead lover with a trust fund. His London rehab buddy who plays some mean pong. The co-worker who desperately needs a vacation or some anger management. AA. Rehab. The dying friend with whom he constantly bickers. The fear of relapse. With every turn of the page, I was rooting for him, hoping he did not relapse. With every turn, I turned my head away if I thought he would relapse, not wanting to know if he did. He's not pathetic. He's real. Reality is not pretty sometimes, but even these ugly times are beautiful.

"Dry." This book I read the next day... couldn't put it down.

The memoir follows Augusten in his success as a mid-20's creative advertiser, which seems like the most appropriate job between Burrough's self-confessed childhood ideal jobs of hairdresser & writer (in "Running w/ Scissors").

This one has a different flavor altogether, kind of like the Truffaut series of Antoine Doinel films. Eccentricity reigned supreme with the bunch of freaks in "Running w/ Scissors". "Dry" finds more misfits in Manhattan. Here, the psychology of Burroughs, his emotions raw & visceral, are on brilliant display. With age, it seems, comes a different mentality altogether... here is testament.

This one has a great, bulky climax: after Burroughs undergoes now-famous rehab... will he relapse? The reader cannot stop reading to find out exactly this.

The central question, and all the near mistakes Augusten makes keeps the suspense going. It is trainwreck drama/memoir!

Burroughs is a great writer, my second favorite Burroughs as a matter of fact. He can give relevance to any bizarre or tragic event unlike mere observers, like ourselves. He is not, it seems, just a spectator, nor is he, despite the fact that he is a rich Manhattanite, mega pretentious. Egads!

Both books are so different that you cannot believe that they occurred to the same individual. Because they did & because this fact means that our OWN lives are unexpectedly complex, sometimes truly symbolic and difficult to get through, it is a book to read. Clearly, it gives some bizarre sense of hope while remaining uber-entertaining.

I thought that Dry was a little dry.

A thoroughly captivating story. Burroughs' memoir revolves around the pain of addiction and his experience of alcoholism. The author has a way of making his life experiences and relationships fascinating (and humorous) from start to finish. He truly has a gift for spellbinding story telling.

Reads more like a novel than a memoir. He makes a few observations about the origins of his addiction but stops short of sharing how he overcomes them. It was okay, but not a book I would recommend. Not insightful enough to be helpful, not interesting enough to be entertaining.

Dry is Augusten Burrough's follow-up to Running with Scissors. Thank God I read this one first, or I woukd have never purchased another.

The book chronicles Burrough's journey from successful ad exec to alcoholic _ in often funny, yet also touching ways. He goes to rehab early in the book, where he actually believes the program will "teach" him "how to drink responsibly." And that it has nothing to do with stopping drinking altogether.

One thing that never occurred to me is covered in the book: a reason I had never thought of concerning the relapses of many addicts. When you are addicted to something, you tend to hang out with people who also use that drug of choice (may e not as badly in shape as you are); you also tend to hang around places with easy access to the drug. THIS is your lifestyle, and along with the alcohol, you must give this up. Imagine that.

By turns touching and hysterical, I would highly recommend this book. I am certain some parts are embellished for effect, but for me it mostly rings true and gave me a glimpse into the mind and life of an addict.

3.5*

I related to A LOT of this book:
childhood sexual abuse; denial; drinking A LOT; thinking it’s normal to drink every day; hitting a bottom; stepping into an aa meeting and not belonging; stepping into an aa meeting and belonging; thinking I’ve got it figured out; being SO judgemental of everyone I meet and know (this part was hard for me to have compassion for in his story because ultimately I don’t feel compassion for that part of me); relapse; getting into “heavier” drugs; chaotic relationships with other people who use (and have severe trauma); using alone; hanging out with crack addicts in crack shacks; stumbling home at 8 am, still wide awake, wondering why everyone seems so happy and normal; wondering why I can’t be “normal”; pissing my bed; puking in my bed; wanting sex but feeling terrified of it; wanting connection and feeling terrified of it; telling myself I’ll never drink or use again; using again that same day; thinking I’m going to die from the shaking and anxiety (withdrawal and addiction); hitting rock bottom; hitting rock bottom again; flashing forward to a year later and feeling alive and well...

So yeah, this story his fucking home.

LOVED IT!