I finished reading Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting a week ago. It's grittier and grimmer than anything I've ever read before. It has been such a weirdly eye-opening experience, so I couldn't resist rambling on about it for a little bit longer.
If you missed my introductory post to Trainspotting, you can catch up on it by following the link: The Idiot's Guide to Trainspotting.
The trainspotting experience
I think the most obviously unique thing about Trainspotting is the fact that it's written in dialect. It takes patience to get used to it initially, but suddenly you'll find it just 'clicks'. The vernacular wrecks havoc in your head until even your inner thoughts have a Scottish accent!
I love the 'grit' of Trainspotting. Anyone who's watched the 1996 film adaptation knows what a raw and grisly affair it is. But that I think is part of what makes it irresistible.
If you allow yourself to sink momentarily into the lives of the characters, the world that awaits you is terrifying and intoxicating.
There was one moment that I literally threw the book away from myself mid-sentence, because what I read was so confronting and repulsive. But no matter what happened to disgust me, I could never abandon it. I went back for more, over and over again.
Wit and humour are the constants that weave through the story. The characters are so true to themselves that I felt I knew what they would say even before they said it.
The story is cram-packed with adventure and misadventure, an exhausting yet exhilarating trip into an alien landscape. I emerged, buzzing from what I had seen, and ready to take on the world, braver and smarter.
I've added Trainspotting to our list of 100 Books to Read Before You Die, because I believe that the experience is something that you can't afford to miss.
I love the 'grit' of Trainspotting. Anyone who's watched the 1996 film adaptation knows what a raw and grisly affair it is. But that I think is part of what makes it irresistible. If you allow yourself to sink momentarily into the lives of the characters, the world that awaits you is terrifying and intoxicating.
There was one moment that I literally threw the book away from myself mid-sentence, because what I read was so confronting and repulsive. But no matter what happened to disgust me, I could never abandon it. I went back for more, over and over again.
Wit and humour are the constants that weave through the story. The characters are so true to themselves that I felt I knew what they would say even before they said it.
The story is cram-packed with adventure and misadventure, an exhausting yet exhilarating trip into an alien landscape. I emerged, buzzing from what I had seen, and ready to take on the world, braver and smarter.
I've added Trainspotting to our list of 100 Books to Read Before You Die, because I believe that the experience is something that you can't afford to miss.
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