I wish it were possible to highlight more than one star, especially for books that are actually collections of short stories, episodes, vignettes, and whatnot.

Naked Lunch has always held a mystique for me, especially since so many bands hearkened to it. However, if it hadn't been one of the books picked by a circle of friends to read together, I don't know when I'd have picked it up.

My first impression of this menagerie was--I am so sorry I tried to read this on my lunch break. Do not do that. First off, there's not enough time, and second--the imagery is rather gross in spots. Also, while some episodes are obviously meant to be funny, I found them too over-the-top. A scalpel fight in an operating room is too much for me, but the talking asshole--that was funny.

Because this was written before my time, influencing a generation about twenty years my senior, it may be that it's impossible for me to fully understand the impact it had. In some ways, I get its relevance; this drug-induced collection of nightmares reflects a world that is cruel, violent, scary, misogynist, homophobic, and racist. Unfortunately, it still is. The way Burroughs conveys this still has shock value.

This is no easy read. Since Burroughs has written a lot more than this, it may have been unfortunate that I've started here. I'll no doubt read more of his work, and I'm glad that I finally experienced this one.