A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father | Augusten Burroughs

A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father | Augusten Burroughs | constant yearning

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A Wolf at the Tabl...

	A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father Augusten Burroughs St. Martin's Press, 2008 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 104 reviews view larger image
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Superbly written, deeply disturbing memoir

Augsten Burroughs has written several excellent memoirs. One gets the impression that he writes them when he's ready to face head on certain truths about his horrific childhood and young adulthood. To write something like this takes hard work and courage. Even reading it takes guts! But you won't regret it.

constant yearning

Much less a roller coaster ride than "Running with Scissors" none the less another look at the dynamics of a dysfunctional family relationship that explores a son's yearning for a fathers love. Although different from my own experiences, the basic theme of a father unable to show love or maybe even incapable of loving, and the consequences of growing up without knowing why our own feelings are subsequently stunted will resonate with many as it did with me. The anger we feel but don't know why. The love we are afraid to commit to and don't know why. Maybe we all react differently but yet somehow those of us who grew up in similar households will know this book deeply.

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You can probably relate

You can count on feeling better after reading any of Augusten's books. This tale will take you through his dark childhood, which makes his book "Dry" more understandable. The more I read his stories the more I'm amazed that he has turned out as such a superstar author. You will not be able to put this one down, but I would recommend checking this one out at the library, because you will burn through this page turner in one night and say good buy to your bucks if you buy it.

Most Depressing

I've read all of Mr. Burroughs books and by far found this one to be the Most Depressing. The book mostly concerns his life before he moved in the the infamous "Finches" of Running With Scissors and revists his alcoholism with shades of Dry. What I found difficult to bear about this story is that there was none of Burroughs characteristic humor, and that humor is needed to allieviate the the darkness of the story from time to time--but there is almost no humor and only a few bright spots. It's truly amazing considering what he went through that he has been able to suceed in life, other people would have been crushed by the weight of it all.

It's clear to me that Burroughs mother was, in fact, a good mother before she had her psychotic break. Her mental illness was no doubt caused by the years of abuse by her husband. I felt that this book made her a more human person, not just some crazy poet as depicted in Scissors, but someone who had been a typical woman living in a time when women's rights weren't far advanced.

I did have some sympathy for the father, his alcoholism no doubt caused a lot of the anti-social, violent behavior that he acted out. It's interesting to see how the alcoholism spread from Burroughs Grandfather, to his father, and finally to Burroughs himself. It is easy to understand why John was an abuser, he had been abused by his father. Sometimes one has to let some things go. Burroughs mother loved him, but became mentally ill and he blamed her for it. Burroughs father never completely accepted him; perhaps the most difficult thing in life is to accept that not everyone will like or love you--not even your own parents.

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