The Acid House

It’s Irvine Welsh. He’s great.

I read this for my group group and was the only one who enjoyed it. It is crazy out there and gross, but also enthralling. You can't help but be impressed by the ideas and execution of his stories. Maybe time I finally watched Train Spotting.

Discovered Welsh years again and was reacquainted with his work on a trip to Scotland. My daughter bought me a copy of “Trainspotting” in Scotland and I was hooked again. Just finished his novel “Filth” and had to get this book of short stories. I wasn’t aware that he had any short fiction, but I’m happy to say it doesn’t disappoint. A word of warning if you haven’t read any of his work, it gets rough, gory, repugnant and downright depressing at times, while still being witty and funny.

Although the European drug scene is not necessarily my usual choice of reading material, Welsh's nouveau writing style draws the reader in through its uniqueness alone. Welsh is experimental, not only through his inventive use of the Scottish dialect, but also through the syntax of his work.Acid House is a conglomeration of short stories, an unfortuntely small collection of poems, as well as a creativly written novela. Many of the story plots may seem redundant; however, with a closer read one can find deeper words than a simply tale of excess and depression. My personal favorite story deals with a down and out pub rat and his strangely enlightening discussion with a disillusioned God.Indeed, Welsh has been quite prolific in the last ten years, having a number of books converted to screen, including Acid House. It is nice to see an author taking a gamble and creating something new.

I love the idea of short stories in one book! Sometimes it's easy to get a little distracted when reading or to have to set a book down and won't be able to get back to it in awhile. So, it's nice to get a change up every once and awhile or to be able to finish something shorter and pick it back up a little later and start something new. I got this book at a gift and can't wait to give it since it's the person's favorite author!

For just the end story, "A Smart C***", The Acid House is worthwhile. Welsh is often super morbid and seriously wickedly wacky in these short stories, most of which play out a lot more like bad dreams than pristine vignettes. The closing aforementioned novella, however, is diferent. It's a surprisingly moving character study of a guy who seems to completely lack character. The guy is so totally caught up with analyzing everything surrounding him that he forgets to live. This seems to be subject matter close to Welsh's heart, and he gives it a surprisingly sympathetic treatment. The other stories range all over the place, but have enough energy to make up for a lack of direction. Gotta love Irv. You just gotta.

What a book. Full of rich language that celebrates the Scottish brogue. A clear, sharp view of post Thatcher Scotland in lyrical short stories.

Bought as a gift. Looks great and the shipping was very, very speedy! Thanks