A Wolf at the Table

A Memoir of My Father

By: Augusten Burroughs

Narrated by: Augusten Burroughs

Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

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.

Amazing

I loved this story and the way it was presented. It is unlike anything I have ever heard ! Thank you Augustan!

Absolute Masterpiece

Most parents do not live up to the needs, wants, and expectations of their children. Others, like Augustine's father are malicious and negligent on a criminal level. Powerful, insightful and very sad. So good.

perfect

this book is perfect, beautiful...i had a hard time with the first few minutes because it's not what i expected - but, i continued on an was mesmerized.

try his brother's book: "look me in the eye" if you liked "wolf at the table". it will fill some of the gaps.

i hope that if the author himself reads any of these reviews he can see that he has at least touched one reader with the audio version, and certainly the book itself.

perfect.

A narcissist looks back

The only thing more appalling than the horrific family events Burroughs recounts is the cloying, narcissistic, self-cherishing way Burroughs narrates. Every word is lovingly wrapped in self-admiring cotton ("I wrote this word!" "I chose this word!" "I can't believe myself!"), which is not only tiring: it breaks the flow of narration. I was finally able to accommodate myself to this unnecessarily drawn-out style of speaking, and the book manages to come through as a sad, frightening and sympathetic self-portrait.

Get Ready...

Be ready for a very intense experience.... I will remember this book every time I think back about a less than perfect, verging on dysfunctional childhood, and note that, compared to this one, mine was mild! Many Thanks to this author for an honest account of a truely dysfunctional childhood... None of us can really use our chidhood as an excuse to fail, now can we......

Exciting Listen With Great Narration

This audiobook was a well executed production. The author's emotional narration was intense and capatavating. Great supplement to Running With Scissors. The epilogue explaining the original music used in the production was also very interesting. I highly recommend this listen.

Wolf at the table

I have read Dry and Running with... I just could get past the 2nd chapter. Too dark for me.

Great!!

As usual, his writing is very entertaining & interesting. I've read almost all of his books & really enjoy his style.