The Wet and the Dry - by Lawrence Osborne (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Selected as a Top Ten Book of the Year by Dwight Garner, New York Times

A "fearlessly honest account" (Financial Times) of man's love of drink, and an insightful meditation on the meaning of alcohol consumption across cultures worldwide

Drinking alcohol: a beloved tradition, a dangerous addiction, even "a sickness of the soul" (as once described by a group of young Muslim men in Bali). In his wide-ranging travels, Lawrence Osborne--a veritable connoisseur himself--has witnessed opposing views of alcohol across cultures worldwide, compelling him to wonder: is drinking alcohol a sign of civilization and sanity, or the very reverse? Where do societies fall on the spectrum between indulgence and restraint?

An immersing, controversial, and often irreverent travel narrative, The Wet and the Dry offers provocative, sometimes unsettling insights into the deeply embedded conflicts between East and West, and the surprising influence of drinking on the contemporary world today.

Review Quotes

A NEW YORK TIMES 2013 TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR

"Instantly among the best nonfiction volumes about drinking that we have...Mr. Osborne comes across in The Wet and the Dry as a real human being indeed--a complicated man mixing complicated feelings into fizzy, adult, intoxicating prose."
--New York Times

"In this entertaining travel essay/memoir, [Osborne] combines both of his loves with a combination of sparkling prose and insightful observations...Endlessly fascinating."
--Chicago Tribune

"Mr. Osborne is a superb travel writer, one who, like Evelyn Waugh, can size up a locale at almost a glance. This intoxicating book has political as well as sensual overtones. It's about how East and West think about alcohol; quite often it's about one man's search for his 6:10 p.m. martini in some very unlikely locations." --Dwight Garner, New York Times

"A bracing, brilliant meditation on everything from the universal qualities that make a good bar to the mysteries of vodka...to the pagan worship of Dionysius, an influence still felt in the way we see wine... Relentlessly sharp-minded." --Boston Globe

"Delightfully idiosyncratic."--LA Times

"Entertaining...[Osborne] nimbly parses politics, religion, and the chaotic nature of history itself in relation to drink." --Men's Journal, a Best Books for Men 2013 selection

"Osborne is a master of the high style." --The Guardian (UK)

"Captivating...Stylish and engaging." --Financial Times (UK)

"Osborne elicits some profound and harrowing reflections...From Dubai to Beirut, Islamabad to Brooklyn, Osborne's meditations on fermentation and distillation induce a host of refreshing, taut, timeless unmoorings." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A cosmopolitan and prodigious drinker conducts a tour to selected locales where alcohol flows easily and to others where such spirits are strictly forbidden...Rakish, rich and nicely served." --Kirkus

About the Author

A celebrated novelist and journalist, LAWRENCE OSBORNE is the author of six travel narratives, and a novel, The Forgiven. His latest novel, The Ballad of a Small Player is out in April 2014. He has written for the New York Times Magazine, the Wall Street Journal Magazine, the New Yorker, Forbes, Harper's, and several other publications. He lives in New York City and Bangkok.