Marabou Stork Nightmares
by Irvine Welsh

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Book Reviews of Marabou Stork Nightmares

Book Review: The flowering of a sociopath
Summary: 5 Stars

He tells the story of Roy Strang, no actually Roy Strang tell the story of Roy Strang. He is lying a coma now, and his story takes place on three different levels of consciousness. When close to the surface, he hears the people around him, circling his hospital bed. But he always wants to go deeper, to escape that pathetic world. The next level of consciousness is his memories, undoctered and vicious, his memories of growing up in the schemes(or projects) of Edinburgh and his uncle's house in South Africa are both morbidly funny and frightening. Deeper still is a bizzare fantasy in the African safaries where hunts his demons personified in a particularly ugly bird called the Marabou Stork.

If you've read Welsh's equally brilliant Filth you'd know that his novels are basically a coat of nihilism covering a deeply tragic core. You may laugh now and then, but there is always a general unease. This is the story of how a funny looking kid with big ears became a social atrocity. And the ending of this tale, which I wouldn't dare reveal here will leave you shaken.

This is a superb novel, that connects like a blow to the gut, and when Roy narrates in reference to his actions "You do this because you think if you're hurting them you can't be hurt." You realise that this seemingly brutal story is infact the story of his redemption.

Summary of Marabou Stork Nightmares

"For anyone who gets high on language, this book is a fantastic trip...a real tour de force."?Madison Smartt Bell, Spin

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