Junky (1953) is William Burroughs first and most accessible novel. Unlike Naked Lunch, which is written in a very surreal and abstract way, Junky reads like an actual novel with a normal chronological structure. It’s based on Burroughs real life heroin addiction, and follows a character by the name of William Lee and his doped out narrative voice, which details his slow struggle on the razor’s edge of heroin addiction, dealing and withdrawal. The cold and distant narrative style is finely juxtaposed by the open and honest description of events and experiences. All of the characters are interesting and memorable, and the book apparently coined the phrase ‘Once a junky, always a junky’. Definitely a worthwhile read, and a good primer for Burroughs and the beat generation of novel writers. I would love to include a short passage, to ‘hook’ you in to the story and writing style, but sadly I lent this gem to a girl years ago and don’t ever see myself getting it back…
★★★★ 4 stars