Possible Side Effects by Augusten Burroughs (2006, Hardcover)

Augusten Burroughs "Possible Side Effects" is an often funny, obviously contrived compilation of self-obsessed essays. He recounts scenes from his dysfunctional childhood which he previously chronicled in "Running with Scissors," along with vignettes from various bad jobs, including his travails at an ad agency, and his life as a famous writer. Burroughs' theme throughout is himself: his struggles with alcoholism, his voracious Nicorette habit, his compulsive Web surfing, his slovenliness, his self-imposed social isolation, his unfitness for employment, his gross bodily emissions and his general embarrassment at being alive.

The stories are too often paper-thin- a visit from the tooth fairy, a trip to the doctor, house-training a puppy- which suggests that Burroughs has mined his personal life experiences for all they're worth. He broadens his material in ways that sometimes ring false, especially in his childhood reminiscences, which are detailed and infused with an adult understanding. Fortunately, Burroughs has superb comic sensibility, riffing on everyday humiliations in a prose that's alternately caustic and warm, bitchy and self-deprecating.

Burroughs center-of-the-universe story arc occasionally gets oppressive, but when he steps outside his head his perceptions are refreshing and humorous. "Possible Side Effects" is clearly a retread the his best-selling "Running with Scissors" and "Dry." The quality of these "new" essays varies tremendously. Burroughs' humorist talent quells some of the reader's disappointment, but it might be prudent for him to change his shtick.