Summary

"Running with Scissors" is a memoir by Augusten Burroughs recounting his bizarre and chaotic childhood. The story begins with his eccentric parents, Deirdre and Norman, locked in a volatile marriage. His mother, Deirdre, is an aspiring poet with increasingly erratic behavior, while his father, Norman, is a detached and emotionally unavailable mathematics professor struggling with alcoholism. As their relationship deteriorates, they seek therapy from the unconventional Dr. Finch, who has unorthodox methods and a rather unusual household.

Augusten's life takes a dramatic turn when, at the age of twelve, his mother gives him to Dr. Finch to raise, making him his legal guardian. He moves into the Finches' dilapidated and cluttered home, which he comes to call "the pink house." The Finch household is a menagerie of eccentric characters, including Dr. Finch's wife, Agnes, a hunchbacked woman with questionable hygiene; their various children, including the troubled Natalie, the religious Hope, and the artistic Kate; and a rotating cast of Dr. Finch's patients who also reside in the house. The house is rife with dysfunction, neglect, and bizarre rituals, like interpreting Dr. Finch's bowel movements as messages from God. Augusten finds himself navigating this strange new world, observing the adults' eccentricities and forming complex relationships with the Finches and their patients.

As Augusten comes of age in this unconventional environment, he explores his own sexuality and forms a disturbing relationship with Neil Bookman, Dr. Finch's adopted thirty-three-year-old son. Despite the emotional and psychological turmoil of his adolescent years, Augusten finds solace in his writing and begins to discover his own creative voice. He dreams of escaping to New York City and becoming a writer. The memoir concludes with Augusten's mother cutting ties with Dr. Finch, claiming he drugged and raped her, which leads to the doctor losing his medical license. This revelation forces Augusten to confront the dysfunctional reality of his upbringing and choose his own path, separate from the influence of both his mother and the Finches.