Dry: A Memoir

Augusten Burroughs continues his autobiographical account in this sequel to Running with Scissors, picking up the narrative in the high-pressure world of New York advertising. Despite a successful career as a copywriter, Burroughs finds his personal life unraveling under the weight of severe alcoholism. The memoir chronicles his descent into dependency, the clinical and often absurd experience of inpatient rehabilitation in Minnesota, and the precarious struggle to maintain sobriety while navigating the social rituals of his former life. A central thread of the narrative is his ill-advised romantic entanglement with a crack addict, which complicates his recovery and highlights the chaotic intersections of his personal and professional spheres.

Burroughs’s prose retains the darkly comic, self-deprecating voice that defined his earlier work. The writing is candid and witty, using humor to defuse the tension of harrowing events without trivializing them. Rather than following a standard redemption arc, the book explores the messy, non-linear reality of addiction and the difficulty of reintegrating into society after treatment. It offers a sharp, unflinching look at the culture of the advertising industry and the specific pressures that fueled his self-destructive behavior.

Description adapted from Open Library ↗.