I felt myself saying, ‘yes that reminds me of a issue I faced with X’ or ‘I remember when Y left me wondering the same thing’. It superimposes a collection of sentiments that many have faced in their lives and personalises them, to the point that the reader can walk away and feel that much closer to Burroughs. Of the three memoirs, this one speaks most personally to Burroughs and a set of inner struggles to which the reader can relate. Not to be missed, but best read after RUNNING WITH SCISSORS and DRY. It also permits the reader to get a better understanding of how Burroughs got into advertising and eventually writing, which is sure to pique the curiosity of some who have fallen in love with Augusten Burroughs in their own way. With a humourous narrative to offset some of the painful truths to which many readers can relate, the book offers a well-rounded approach to the man and his innermost thoughts. When he resurfaced, somewhat an awakening in and of itself, Burroughs was faced with a decision that his heart had made long ago, but his brain was only now coming to realise. While it was a painful struggle, the epiphany that Burroughs undertook led him to love himself most and to choose Augusten over a life of shattered dreams and ill-fitting awkward pauses. However, when issues arise and are shelved, leaving a stagnant sludge, love can (and usually does) wither, leaving both parties husks of their former selves.

From there, the journey took him into a relationship that had not only merit, but also longevity one that could have been ‘the one’ and, for a time, might certainly have been.

Burroughs recounts of an early love that began strong and blossomed, only to fade when the compatibility waned and fidelity became an issue. While those journeys may not be something to which all readers can relate, the struggle to find love is one that many will have faced, even if each person has their own narrative. Readers of the previous volumes will know the difficult personal journeys Burroughs has explored through writing daunting struggles as a youth and battling alcohol addiction.

In the final volume of his personal memoir, Burroughs explores matters of the heart.

Dry augusten