Burroughs's Brother's Book

by Rachel Deahl, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 2/14/2007

After word was leaked by the New York Post's Keith Kelly yesterday that John Robison, older brother of Augusten Burroughs (né Chris Robison), got a hefty $1.1 million advance from Crown for his memoir about growing up (and old) with Asperger's syndrome, PW spoke to the purchasing editor at Crown, Rachel Klayman, about the forthcoming title. The big question is how, and if, the younger Burroughs will figure into the forthcoming title. Clearing up any confusion about whether Robison's book would feature the Turcotte family —the off-kilter clan that Burroughs lived with and depicted in Running with Scissors as the Finches (and the same clan that is now suing Burroughs)—Klayman said none of those characters figure in Robison's book.

Robison, eight years older than Burroughs, was not living at home when his younger brother was shipped off to live with the Turcottes, Klayman explained. And while Burroughs's parents will be featured in Robison's book, along with Burroughs himself, Klayman said the book is not a reworking of Running. Rather, it will "appeal to readers of other compelling memoirs and people interested in the workings of the human mind."

While publicity plans for the title are far from being mapped out, Klayman said the brothers would do some joint publicity, but it's not known how much.

To read Burroughs's advance quote about his brother's forthcoming book, see below:

"Growing up, my brother was the storyteller in the family. There was something prehistoric to the way he would leave the house for weeks at a time, hunting, foraging, and then return with his beasts, his exotic tales and further evidence that life outside our house was large, indeed. I missed those stories, so I asked him to write a memoir. 'How?' was his reply. 'Just like when we were kids.' Asperger's Syndrome has given my brother an amazing brain and he took this memoir-writing business quite seriously. When I read the manuscript, I felt a pure sense of awe. There is no book like this one. It's simply amazing, for a thousand different reasons. I'm proud of my brother and his book. And if it's a success, I take full credit, since I'm the one who made him write it. If it fails, that's not my fault, because he has Asperger's Syndrome, so they should have known better than to publish him." --Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with Scissors and Dry

This article originally appeared in the February 14, 2007 issue of PW Daily. For more information about PW Daily, including a sample and subscription information, click here »

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