A Wolf at the Table, Augusten Burroughs
A Wolf at the Table, Augusten Burroughs
4 Rating(s)
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A Wolf at the Table
A Memoir of My Father

Author: Augusten Burroughs, Patti Smith, Sea Wolf, Ingrid Michaelson, Tegan Quin

Narrator: Augusten Burroughs, Patti Smith, Sea Wolf, Ingrid Michaelson, Tegan Quin

Unabridged: 9 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/29/2008


Synopsis

Nominated for the 2009 Audiobook of the Year

"As a little boy, I had a dream that my father had taken me to the woods where there was a dead body. He buried it and told me I must never tell. It was the only thing we'd ever done together as father and son, and I promised not to tell. But unlike most dreams, the memory of this one never left me. And sometimes…I wasn't altogether sure about one thing: was it just a dream?"

When Augusten Burroughs was small, his father was a shadowy presence in his life: a form on the stairs, a cough from the basement, a silent figure smoking a cigarette in the dark. As Augusten grew older, something sinister within his father began to unfurl. Something dark and secretive that could not be named.

Betrayal after shocking betrayal ensued, and Augusten's childhood was over. The kind of father he wanted didn't exist for him. This father was distant, aloof, uninterested…

And then the "games" began.

With A Wolf at the Table, Augusten Burroughs makes a quantum leap into untapped emotional terrain: the radical pendulum swing between love and hate, the unspeakably terrifying relationship between father and son. Told with scorching honesty and penetrating insight, it is a story for anyone who has ever longed for unconditional love from a parent. Though harrowing and brutal, A Wolf at the Table will ultimately leave you buoyed with the profound joy of simply being alive. It's a memoir of stunning psychological cruelty and the redemptive power of hope.

About Augusten Burroughs

Augusten Burroughs is the author of Running with Scissors, Dry, Magical Thinking: True Stories, Possible Side Effects, A Wolf at the Table and You Better Not Cry. He is also the author of the novel Sellevision, which has been optioned for film. The film version of Running with Scissors, directed by Ryan Murphy and produced by Brad Pitt, was released in October 2006 and starred Joseph Cross, Brian Cox, Annette Bening (nominated for a Golden Globe for her role), Alec Baldwin and Evan Rachel Wood. Augusten's writing has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers around the world including The New York Times and New York Magazine. In 2005 Entertainment Weekly named him one of "The 25 Funniest People in America." He resides in New York City and Western Massachusetts.

About Tegan Quin

During the course of their seasoned career, Tegan Quin and Sara Quin have sold well over one million records and released numerous studio albums. They have received three Juno Awards, a Grammy nomination, a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, and the New York Civil Liberties Union Award. Tegan and Sara have performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, from Coachella to the Academy Awards, and are executive producers of the TV series High School based on their New York Times–bestselling adult memoir of the same name. They are also the authors of the Tegan and Sara graphic novel series for young readers, which is illustrated by Eisner Award–winner Tillie Walden. In 2016, they created the Tegan and Sara Foundation, which fights for health, economic justice, and representation for LGBTQ+ people. The sisters currently reside in Vancouver, British Columbia.


Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Dutch on 2008-07-08 09:54:05

OK, he had a miserable childhood and he clearly needed many hours on the psychotherapists couch to work through this and to move on with his life. But that does not make for a successful book. Perhaps being self-absorbed and narcissistic are inevitable ingredients of autobiography, but they are also attributes that make the reader/listener finally ask Why should I care? It appears that Augusten has succeeded in beating alcoholism and I admire him for that - and for being one gorgeously hot looking man - but I really hope that he can now begin to apply his considerable talents to things beyond his own pain.

Goodreads review by Betsy on December 19, 2010

CAVEAT: This book is potentially triggering for survivors of physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse, as well as animal lovers. I heard Augusten Burroughs said, and I paraphrase, that Running with Scissors was a joyous romp compared with this book. Now that I have read it, I understand why. Running......more

Goodreads review by Anita on October 12, 2010

I think this is a fine book but I have no idea if you should read it or not. If you don’t know what I know, maybe it won’t be worth it to you. Because I think, at its heart, this is less a memoir for me than a book of kinship, a description of what it is like to be small and terrified, held in thral......more

Goodreads review by Will on July 06, 2008

Augusten Burroughs is one of my favorite contemporary authors, and it has always puzzled me a bit regarding the debate as to whether or not the events in "Running With Scissors," and now "A Wolf at the Table," are ultimately word for word truth. Given the corroboration from his older brother who has......more

Goodreads review by Christine on August 01, 2008

Some of the "Average Joe" negative reviews of A Wolf at the Table that I've read online complain that author Augusten Burroughs' "didn't really know what it was like to be abused" or that Burroughs' mental anguish in the hands of his father's quasi-psychotic unpredictability "was boring, same day in......more

Goodreads review by Jan on July 30, 2008

Wow. This is a tough one... A tough review to write, a tough book to read. Normally I like Burroughs' books, but I am truly torn over this one. Things I liked: The description, the imagery. I truly FELT (not just UNDERSTOOD) what he was writing. I also liked the way the book flowed. It was chronologic......more


Quotes

“Intense, sincere, and passionate, Burroughs offers a deeply felt, intimate portrait of the most disastrous period in his life. He holds nothing back, and in fully giving voice to his emotions, he makes each moment immediate for the listener.” —AudioFile

“In audiobook form, Burroughs's memoir is an unforgettable experience that will resonate with many.” —Library Journal, Starred Review

“...There are books that were born for bells and whistles, and Augusten Burrough's Wolf at the Table is one. This fifth memoir of abuse and excess is read, bleated, rumbled and, at times, tearfully shouted by the author himself. The audio book includes sound effects and occasional instrumental music, and it breaks new ground by presenting four songs written expressly for the productions. There is one each from Patti Smith, Ingrid Michaelson, Sea Wolf and Tegan Quin.” —Washington Post

“I felt that because this book is different than anything I have written before, it deserved a very unique, special treatment and production.” —Augusten Burroughs on A Wolf at the Table

“I wanted an audiobook for the iPod generation – for people who love books but also love music and film. I wanted to bring the book to life as fully as possible.” —Augusten Burroughs on A Wolf at the Table in Publishers Weekly

“Bestselling author Burroughs has written a brutally frank memoir about his father – his difficult, distant, miserable father – which he reads himself, effectively. Original music by Patti Smith, Sea Wolf, Ingrid Michaelson and Tegan Quin – composed for this audiobook – graces the final CD.” —Canada.com

“A flawless audio adaptation of his alternately riotous and heartbreaking memoir.” —Publishers Weekly on Running with Scissors

“[Burroughs's] performance blends self-deprecating black humor with wise-cracking confidence. His natural (or hard-learned) wit and charm keep the listener rooting for his success.” —AudioFile on Dry


Awards

  • Audie Audiobook of the Year Finalist
  • AudioFile Best Voices
  • AudioFile Best Audiobooks