Trainspotting
by Irvine Welsh
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Book Summary Information
Author: Irvine WelshEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1996-06-17
ISBN: 0393314804
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Book Reviews of Trainspotting
Book Review: Trainspotting Review
Summary: 5 Stars
Trainspotting, by Irvine Welsh, is a realistic fiction novel about Scottish lowlifes fighting friends, enemies, and an even crueler, more harmful force: heroin. The story focuses on one character in particular, Mark Renton, who continually battles this self-destructive addiction that constantly interferes with and impacts his life. In and out of his drug habit he must search for relationships, jobs, but most importantly any meaning his life or life itself might contain.The setting of Trainspotting varies throughout the story. The many characters travel all over Edinburgh, Scotland, and Leith. They live in the trashy parts of the cities staying with whomever they can and spending the rest of their time at various pubs. The specific year is never mentioned, but it appears to take place in the early nineties. The author, Irvine Welsh, has a unique way of using setting in the story. Although it's not completely relevant upfront, it's always an important backdrop, and the character's actions show subconscious devotion to their settings. An example of this is how Renton takes plenty of time discussing how he dislikes Scotland, but then narrates, "We go fir a [walk] in the auld Central Station, which is soon to be demolished... Somehow that makes us sad, even though ah wis eywis too young tae mind ay trains ever being here." The atmosphere of Trainspotting is very honest with traces of pessimism. The world is portrayed darkly and depressingly, yet truthfully.
The protagonist of Trainspotting, Mark Renton, has a very deviant view on life. The author shows Mark's thoughts, which for the most part are never appreciative or even attempt to see the bright side of things, unless the situation is ironic. He has a thick Scottish accent and dresses his lanky body in converse and fitted clothing. He has a reputation of being a screw up due to his constant state of kicking, relapsing, then starting back up on heroin. However, his mates do view him as trustworthy. His actions may appear negative sometimes, but he also does have feelings of love and friendship he conveys to people. Irvine Welsh definitely wrote Mark to be a round character. He is also nowhere near a stock character because of his unique thoughts and actions. It's arguable whether he's a static or dynamic character, but I personally found Mark to be dynamic because of his thoughts at the end of the book compared with those at the beginning. By the time the resolution occurs, Mark's bitter hatred for the human race has begun to subside. Overall, I simply enjoyed Renton's rude, why-bother outlook on things.
The narrative hook of Trainspotting occurs when an unknown character begins describing a group of people shooting up heroin as an everyday part of life. The plot is hard to determine since the book mainly switches to different characters and tells about random happenings in their lives. It goes in and out of the junkies' lives while they come off drugs, only to become defeated mentally and begin using again. The story also deals with the social interaction between the group of friends. Mark has built up angst for Sick Boy, who he must deal with. Begbie is constantly starting up unnecessary fights with innocent people, and Spud spends all his time dreaming about a relationship instead of getting up the courage to get one. As the chapters unfold and you discover who the characters really are it all builds up to the final climax of the story, one very shocking if not unbelievable one indeed.
Irvine Welsh, while perhaps being a bit too crude for some people, is an amazing, extremely talented author. He writes in phonetics, combining dialogue, description, and a reader's own personal look into the character's minds. He includes flashbacks, lots of irony, symbolism, and even has song lyrics pertaining to scenes in the story included throughout the book. Once you get used to his style of writing, his humor in the dialogue and thought are extremely enjoyable. He has a very distinct style (at least to me because I haven't read any other work by British authors) and he tells the truth. By truth I mean he does not spare any detail that would occur in real life simply to make the story more polite. He's true to life and I enjoy reading what a character is actually thinking, or seeing how they really would react. Overall I think Irvine Welsh has a very enjoyable style of writing with his true-to-life scenes, somewhat darker humor, and interesting characters which make his work distinctive. If Irvine Welsh did indeed have just one theme for Trainspotting it would probably be to question things you wouldn't ordinarily, and to make up your own opinions. He wants to encourage the readers to gain their own sense of independence. Irvine Welsh wrote the book to show ordinary life through the lives of unordinary people. I would highly recommend Trainspotting for anyone who is not too easily offended, enjoys real life stories, and is looking for a new and rare perspective on things.
Summary of Trainspotting
Trainspotting is the novel that first launched Irvine Welsh's spectacular career?an authentic, unrelenting, and strangely exhilarating episodic group portrait of blasted lives.
It accomplished for its own time and place what Hubert Selby, Jr.'s Last Exit to Brooklyn did for his. Rents, Sick Boy, Mother Superior, Swanney, Spuds, and Seeker are as unforgettable a clutch of junkies, rude boys, and psychos as readers will ever encounter. Trainspotting was made into the 1996 cult film starring Ewan MacGregor and directed by Danny Boyle (Shallow Grave).Irvine Welsh's controversial first novel, set on the heroin-addicted fringe of working-class youth in Edinburgh, is yet another exploration of the dark side of Scottishness. The main character, Mark Renton, is at the center of a clique of nihilistic slacker junkies with no hopes and no possibilities, and only "mind-numbing and spirit-crushing" alternatives in the straight world they despise. This particular slice of humanity has nothing left but the blackest of humor and a sharpness of wit. American readers can use the glossary in the back to translate the slang and dialect--essential, since the dialogue makes the book. This is a bleak vision sung as musical comedy.
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