Publishers Weekly
06/10/2019
In his whimsical but thin latest, Burroughs reveals another odd facet of the famously dysfunctional family life he recalled in his bestselling Running with Scissors: witchcraft. Having received the “Gift” of witchcraft powers from his mother and grandmother, witchery for Burroughs is not about flying broomsticks but rather visions, premonitions, and intense desires, focused by improvised “magick” rituals, that somehow nudge ordinary life in a fortunate direction. (His first try ends in a schoolyard bully getting his comeuppance via a poetically fitting medical condition.) In adulthood, a series of spells enable him and husband Christopher to move from Manhattan to a dream house in rural Connecticut, and the book is at heart an affectionate, gently humorous portrait of their neurotic version of domestic tranquility, told through picaresque anecdotes sometimes tangentially related to magic. A ghostly voice sounds at the 200-year-old manse; a tornado blows through; raucous local eccentrics show up; Christopher soothes Burroughs’ manifold anxieties; Burroughs fusses over Christopher and dramatizes his own obsessions with decor, cleaning chores, landscaping, and dogs. The material is sometimes funny and touching, but too often it’s mundane—“the puppy is so perfectly behaved, not peeing once indoors.” Burroughs’s fans will love his comic riffs, but others may not fall under the spell of this uninvolving saga. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
Praise for Toil & Trouble:
"Burroughs’ unique ability to translate his fears, anxieties, and dreams into something universal that feels a little like, well, magic...This hilarious and spellbinding memoir will generate a whirl of requests." —Booklist, starred review
Praise for Augusten Burroughs:
"A satisfying success story from a reliably outspoken raconteur." —Kirkus on Lust & Wonder
“All of the wisdom he dispenses in his new book-delivered with the dark, acidic humor we've come to expect is certainly well-earned.” —The Boston Globe on This is How
“Dry is more than a heartbreaking tale; it's a heroic one. As with its predecessor, we finish the book amazed not only that Burroughs can write so brilliantly, but that he's even alive.” —People on Dry
“It makes a good run at blowing every other [memoir] out of the water.” —The Washington Post on Running with Scissors
“Funny and rich with child's eye details of adults who have gone off the rails.” —The New York Times Book Review on Running with Scissors
NOVEMBER 2019 - AudioFile
An ensemble cast supports Augusten Burroughs in the narration of his whimsical memoir, and it is a quirky romp indeed through a genuinely fertile imagination. He reveals, with his slow and sharply articulated wry drawl, that he is a witch, as are other members of his colorful family. Burroughs performs his own story with both the humor and pathos it requires. The supporting cast fleshes out his interactions with people around him—especially his mother and a favorite uncle (a reluctant witch himself)—and lays bare how witchcraft has continually intervened in their lives. While this work is not as focused as Burroughs’s earlier memoirs, fans of his audiobooks will enjoy this original take on the magic in everyday life. D.G.P. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
