A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs

The only reason I bought and read this book is that last summer the author, Augusten Burroughs, read on NPR a beautiful essay about Carson McCullers' The Member of the Wedding. So, when I was in New York this past May and learned that the New York Public Library was sponsoring an event at which Burroughs would read from his new work, I made arrangements to attend on the chance that I might meet him, introduce myself, and thank him for his McCullers essay -- which I did. Of real thrill to me as a McCullers fan was the fact that even before the "signing and meeting" line started, during the general question and answer session, when someone asked Burroughs about his literary influences, he named McCullers! Yay! (He also named Flannery O'Connor and Elizabeth Berg.) Now I knew I was going to introduce myself -- and I did -- and Mr. Burroughs was most gracious and offered his hand and "thanked me for what I do."

So, score one, or two or three, for Augusten Burroughs. However, his latest book, A Wolf at the Table, is weak. I didn't think a great deal of the sensationalist Running With Scissors, but I think even less of A Wolf at the Table.

Wolf is Burroughs' account of growing up with a cruel father. Only thing is, I'm not convinced. Burroughs' recollections include far too many childhood assumptions. That is, he relates a particular incident and interprets that incident only as a child would. He does not provide any post-incident perspective of time and maturity. His memories lack reflection.

To be continued ...