Running with Scissors is the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of Anne Sexton) gave him away to be raised by her psychiatrist, a dead ringer for Santa and a lunatic in the bargain. Suddenly, at age twelve, Augusten Burroughs found himself living in a dilapidated Victorian in perfect squalor. The doctor's bizarre family, a few patients, and a pedophile living in the backyard shed completed the tableau. Here, there were no rules; there was no school. The Christmas tree stayed up until summer, and Valium was eaten like Pez. And when things got dull, there was always the vintage electroshock-therapy machine under the stairs...
I really enjoyed this one, it was a slow read at first so it was harder to get into but once it hit the 50th or so page, it was very funny and quite enjoyable. It's a memoir and Augusten's parents are toxic towards one another. His father is a distant alcoholic and his mother is a crazy writer who is very self-absorbed. The parents get a divorce and his mother starts seeing a therapist, Dr. Finch. His mother seems incapable of caring for Augusten so she sends him to live with the therapist. Dr Finch is very strange and morbid, as are his wife and children. Their house is always in disarray and there's always something wrong. A pedophile falls in love with him, the doctor thinks his turds foresee the future, and their Christmas tree stays up virtually all year long. It was really funny and enjoyable, I recommend it!
*****
0 comments:
Post a Comment