A Wolf at the Table

A Memoir of My Father

By: Augusten Burroughs

Narrated by: Augusten Burroughs

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.

Listen to Running with Scissors.©2008 Island Road, LLC (P)2008 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"There are books that were born for bells and whistles, and Augusten Burroughs's A 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...breaks new ground by presenting four songs written expressly for the production." ( The Washington Post)
"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)

Absolutely amazing

The tempo and pace of the book is unusual but warranted. Burroughs matches a childlike wonder with curiosity, and utilizes appropriate timing and dictation to accentuate necessary and deliberate points.

Burroughs has written a masterful memorial of his childhood in relation to his father, and you can feel the pain, missed opportunities, and longing from his voice.

A wonderful work.

Like nothing else

Highly recommended. This is a masterpiece, such clarity of memory from a child's perspective. We can all relate to this, so so human

this was his most dramatic book

I always love hearing his story in his voice
reading all his books, I get a feel for how his story came together and shaped him. and how he took control and made his life better than it's origin.

Not what i expected but worth my money.

This is extremely different than Burroughs other books-It's not comedic, its more drama. Its extremely heart felt. It really feels like he pours his heart out in this book. Also listen to the whole thing, after he plays a song at the end he has an outro that explains why the songs are there, and it may have you listen to the songs differently than you had at first. If you're looking for a comedy, this is not it. Very well written, at time i was unsure of weather I liked the audio and how it was read at time, but over all it grew on me and I enjoyed it very much. I definately reccomend this.

The truth can be so brutally honest.

The story here is very heartbreaking as it is true life. The songs at the end we're good. Sometimes the narration was hard to listen to especially in the beginning. Good book!

a haunting and brave memoir

This is among the best of all of his books, but also the saddest. I couldn't put it down, and really loved that his close, musician friends put their impressions to music at the end. It brought tears to my eyes but also left me feeling like it's ok, cause now he knows he's loved.

Painful but worth it

I have listened to all of his books, and this one is quite different. The narration is a little heavy in the beginning, and I'm sure that will put a lot of people off. As the story of a boy trying to make sense of a crazy life and an unfortunate set of parents, it is extremely powerful. By the end, I was crying and the hair was standing up on my arms. I can tell you that I gave my own son an extra big hug that night! I'm very glad I stuck with it.

Stick to writing and stop narrating

Like all of Augusten Burroughs's other writings, this one is good, if a little on the dark side (a little to the darker, sadder side than even Running With Scissors).

This one is narrated by the author, and while he sounds fine, he... reads... so... slowly. It made me wish for a button on my iPod that would speed things up just a bit. Could have been a single file download instead of two if he'd just read at a bit faster clip.

Awesome!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to everybody and will. The fact that this is a true story just makes it even more heartbreaking and in the end a testament to what a human soul can endure and still come out a shining star.

What other book might you compare A Wolf at the Table to and why?

Anne Rice's "Called out of Darkness - A Spiritual Confession". Although I read that book and the emotion shines it is not the same as hearing the author speak the words and know exactly how he must have felt during his childhood. I just wanted to give him a hug so many times throughout the book.

What does Augusten Burroughs bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

So much more than I can say. You can feel in your heart what he felt and I cried for him. Yet he has made so much out of the ashes his father left of his heart.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A stunning story of the survival of one little boys heart!

Any additional comments?

After reading "Running with Scissors" I was expecting something so different than what I got from this book. But I was not disappointed in the least. Buy this audio book and experience a story that will raise your heart and bring you to the realization that some parents should not be allowed to exist. I wanted the Wolf to die as much as Augusten did when he handed his brother the gun and shouted "KILL HIM!" over and over and I was shouting with him. He did survive his father but I still think there is a hole in his heart that will never be mended. And he deserved so much more because he gave love so freely without ever getting any back. To his fathers dying day he loved him with all his heart and it was his father that missed out on this unconditional love and his loss that he never returned the love of a little boy who loved him so much it will make your heart ache.

A Must-Listen

Listening to an audio book narrated by the author, in the tone in which it was intended, is an interesting experience. In this case, I found it essential. The author takes us through his childhood, a very honest and raw perspective. This was my first experience with Burroughs, and it is certainly far from my last.
I have to mention the cover design, by Chip Kidd, is such an accurate reflexion of the tone of this book. Very powerful.