My first instinct in describing Naked Lunch is to say something along the lines of "It grabbed me by the balls and refused to let go," but I should probably be a little more descriptive and a little less sensational about it. To condense my feelings on the book: I found it absolutely compelling; it made me want to read it again.
I do not understand this book at all, but I feel like I am not meant to do so. There is certainly no consistent narrative (the opening section seems to be the most lucid, and even that admits no easily decipherable plot), but then there needn't be. I found the novel most rewarding when I stopped trying to figure out what in flying hell was going on and just kept reading one word after the next, not even really trying to parse sentences together into coherent thoughts. The book does not ask for in-depth understanding but for surrender to immersion in a completely alien universe. Burroughs does an excellent job of deconstructing reality to give the reader a glimpse into the fractured perceptions and hallucinations of an addict or a madman. The experience reminded me of a screening I once saw of Orson Welles' adaptation of The Trial in the surrounding sense of confusion and uncertainty.
In addition to his ability to warp perception, Burroughs shows a mastery of his language. He wastes no words and really makes his English come alive. Example: "Gentle reader, the ugliness of that spectacle buggers description. Who can be a cringing pissing coward, yet vicious as a purple-assed mandril, alternating these deplorable conditions like vaudeville skits?" (He certainly has a talent for simile.) In short, his writing just sounds really good. This is a book that would read very well out loud.