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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In Welsh's (Trainspotting) gritty proletarian universe, everyone from God to Madonna (the Material Girl, not the Virgin) speaks tough, working-class Scottish dialect: "That cunt Nietzsche wis wide ay the maark whin he sais ah wis deid," confides a prickly, pint-hefting Almighty in a Glasgow pub. "Ah'm no deid, ah jist dinnae gie a fuck." Nihilism and self-absorption characterize the nearly indistiguishable junkies, football hooligans and petty thieves who narrate these edgy, preponderantly first-person stories and one novella. Like fellow Scot James Kelman (whose salty vernacular Welsh's dialogue echoes), Welsh's predatory characters are society's dregs, hard-luck losers pinned to seediness by the empire's decline and by their own low expectations. The plots address this unrelenting grimness with shocking violence or twisted comedy. With the former, Welsh lacks Kelman's chilling incisiveness and tense dramatic control; he's somewhat more successful at broad satire and manic, high-concept humor. When it works, it's hilarious: "Where the Debris Meets the Sea" features inventive turnabout, as fanzines and tabloid TV programs about Scottish lorrie drivers feed the sexual fantasies of Madonna and friends. More often, though, the satire lacks teeth, descending instead to weak sarcasm. The title story's inspired premise (an acid tripping malcontent and a yuppie couple's newborn swap souls) fizzles out in conventional, trite pokes at political correctness, men's groups and upward mobility. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Review
“Mind-bendingly good.”
— GQ magazine
“The collection as a whole is sick, horrific, occasionally moving and very funny.”
— New Statesman
“Another season in Hell with Irvine Welsh, and God, it’s invigorating.”
— New Statesman
— GQ magazine
“The collection as a whole is sick, horrific, occasionally moving and very funny.”
— New Statesman
“Another season in Hell with Irvine Welsh, and God, it’s invigorating.”
— New Statesman
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth it,
By A Customer
This review is from: THE ACID HOUSE (Paperback)
This book literally reads itself and for those people with a short attention span this book is perfect, being a compilation of unbelievably detailed short stories always ending with some sort of twist. I recommend everybody to read this, it is well worth the 15 bucks.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Acid burns,
By Plato Fish (San Fransico) - See all my reviews
This review is from: THE ACID HOUSE (Paperback)
Like all of Welsh's books, Acid House is a far from pleasant read. That said, like a car accident, this book is difficult to look away from. The characters are stunningly well developed, and painfully human in their failings. Read this book!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Picture of Humanity,
By Terra Bell (Bellingham, WA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Acid House (Paperback)
Irvine Welsh is amazing! This collection focuses mainly on the experiences of people familiar with the world of drugs, but you'll relate to them to a frightening extent. Welsh is an absolute master of the language; his work with words is beautiful. And the stories themselves are unforgettable.He goes into the characters minds and draws out pieces of them we don't like - but recognize - and forces us to look at the implications of our thoughts, feelings, and actions. These short stories have made Irvine Welsh my new favourite author.
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