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Growing up on a housing estate in Muirhouse, Edinburgh, Roy unavoidably gets into scrapes with other kids and, as his crimes eventually become more serious, the police. Welsh expertly interweaves into this base reality Roy's surreal hallucination of his time spent in South Africa with "Sandy Jamieson"--the fearless hunter (a figment of his troubled mind) with whom he goes in search of the vicious but elusive Marabou Stork, a beast that isn't what it seems to be. Roy trains his mind to shut out the present and finds comfort in his African escapism--anything to avoid dealing with the consequences of his actions in real life, and his mother's singing.
The Strangs move out to South Africa in the hope of making a better life for themselves and to raise their "prospects", but they are disillusioned when, in a country where white skin is considered superior, they still fail to achieve their desires. Back in Muirhouse Roy works his way up to systems analyst from a trainee, but in his own time gets his kicks from football hooliganism; he gets involved with a bad crowd whom he finds himself joining in the docks before long.
The exercise and abuse of power is a consistent theme throughout the book: it's depicted between the hunters and animals, nurse Patricia Devine and Roy, Roy and the family dog, uncle Gordon and Roy, Lochart Dawson and the black South Africans, rapists and their female victim. Having been abused in his early years--physically, verbally and sexually--Roy, in a comatose state, is unable to fight anymore and is rendered a victim as well as a perpetrator in his state of limbo.
Using style nuances now familiar in his work, such as writing in dialect and eschewing quote marks, Welsh presents a modern-day Kafka-esque tale of exaggerated realism, told with dark humour and making sure to blunt any polished edges. --Angela Boodoo
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Complex, Dark, Disturbing Masterpiece!,
By Eve Nevarre "Raven" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Marabou Stork Nightmares (Paperback)
This book is disturbing yes, but brilliant and captivating at the same time. I am a fan of Welsh's writing and am accustomed to the darkness present in his novels. This book, however, was the darkest of them all. The main character is deeply troubled and prefers the nightmares of his own imagination than the nightmares of the reality he has lived through. As he is on the verge of awaking from his comatose state he fights to go deeper into his coma to avoid facing real life. I confess to being disturbed and a bit depressed by this book but the concept was so brilliant and geniusly executed as only Irvine Welsh can. I recommend this book to anyone who can think beyond two dimentions. It is a complex, dark, disturbing masterpiece!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark but good,
By
This review is from: Marabou Stork Nightmares (Paperback)
Probably not for everybody, but for those who can take ventures on the dark side, and can deal with Scottish slang ... this is a must read. Darkly funny sometimes, abhorrent, pitiful, and sad ... it takes you through a number of places ... some of them not at all pleasant. But you are taken there in a style that is completely Welsh's.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A CLASSIC!!!!!!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Marabou Stork Nightmares (Paperback)
This is the greatest work I've read by Irvine Welsh, and I've read them all. Marabou Stork Nightmares is an classic dark comedy/satirical epic, almost as good as Voltaire's "Candide." I would reccomend this novel to anyone who can handle Welsh's sick humor.
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