Books similar to Trainspotting and other Irvine Welsh

[mtbskalover]

ive not long started 'addict' by stephen smith. about amphetamine addiction. i was not expecting the bloke to get into drugs the way he did.

hope its not how ol' meth lab did... ;-) (joke bud)

 

[sojourner]

Agree with Kelman and Gray, and would add

Stuart, A Life Backwards, by Alexander Masters. Okay, it's not fiction, but it's fucked up, in terms of the shite Stuart goes through, and more fucked up precisely because it's NOT fiction

Like Being Killed by Ellen Miller. Another disclaimer - it's not UK, but it's one of the most fucked up novels I've ever read. Had me wincing. The blurb for it sounds dire: ...is the 90s bratpack dream gone wrong: a novel of drugs, dependency and the myth of the sisterhood, it takes the trust implicit in female friendship to its ultimate conclusions...

but it's a decent novel

 

[sojourner]

Dangerous Parking by Stuart Browne.

Hilarious and harrowing. definitely not a happy ending.

Excellent - loved that

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

Stuart, A Life Backwards, by Alexander Masters. Okay, it's not fiction, but it's fucked up, in terms of the shite Stuart goes through, and more fucked up precisely because it's NOT fiction

that's a fantastic book i thought, totally engrossing stuff, dark but humorous, sad yet uplifting, proper out there.

 

[sojourner]

that's a fantastic book i thought, totally engrossing stuff, dark but humorous, sad yet uplifting, proper out there.

Yep

I'm thinking of re-reading it - just got it back off a mate who's had it for a year

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

a year!!! ffs, some people. i'm off round a mate's on friday to pick up a selection of books that he's borrowed and seems to have taken ages to read (including my copy of Grits funnily enough).

 

[gabi]

Excellent - loved that

Did you know they've made a movie out of it? I made the mistake of downloading it. To say it doesn't do the novel justice is an understatement of the highest order. The director seems to totally miss the (somewhat bleak) point of the book.

 

[sojourner]

a year!!! ffs, some people. i'm off round a mate's on friday to pick up a selection of books that he's borrowed and seems to have taken ages to read (including my copy of Grits funnily enough).

a year is about average with my mates at least they do give them back though - i've lost christ knows how many books to acquaintances and family

 

[sojourner]

Did you know they've made a movie out of it? I made the mistake of downloading it. To say it doesn't do the novel justice is an understatement of the highest order. The director seems to totally miss the (somewhat bleak) point of the book.

No I didn't know, but honestly, I'm not surprised. I'm let down so often by films of beloved books that I automatically develop a sneer when I hear about it now

One of the few that didn't do that was Fear and Loathing in las vegas* - I got a big daft grin on my face when the opening line was narrated



*and Brokeback Mountain, goes without saying

 

[Rainingstairs]

Chuck Palahniuk.

 

[goldenecitrone]

If you want something a bit more mainstream then Ian Rankin's Rebus books are okay, if a bit like a Scottish version of the Bill.

 

[sojourner]

Chuck Palahniuk.

is that a book?

 

[gabi]

Anything by Bret Easton Ellis is fucking great. I particularly loved Glamorama. But not sure if it will have aged well... I recall it being genius though. I'm sure he and Welsh must have compared notes at some point.

 

[goldenecitrone]

is that a book?

No, it's the Native American expression for vomiting, a bit like the Ozzie's 'pavement pizza'.

 

[ebay sex moomin]

ive not long started 'addict' by stephen smith. about amphetamine addiction. i was not expecting the bloke to get into drugs the way he did.

that's a cracker. It looks like sensationalist crap from the cover, but it's truly a remarkable story.

another vote for 'stuart- a life backwards' here too. if anyone enjoyed these two, you should definitely read 'the junk yard' book that I mentioned on page one. the writing is superb, and the stories are both bleak and funny.

 

[Part 2]

I remember Steven Smith coming to Manchester looking to make a film based on Addict.. He struck me as being a bit of a cock and I remember thinking there were elements of the story that didn't quite ring true although I can't remember what they were. Certainly got no desire to read it again to find out, all that Robin Hood nonsense.

Iced by Ray Shell is a similar book I think, reads like it might be true but at least the author doesn't pretend it is.

Early Irvine Welsh is good, Acid House and Trainspotting, but couldn't be arsed after that.

No Mean City by Alexander McArthur and H. Kingsley Long is the best 'Scottish' book I've read. Written in 1935, harsh as fuck.

http://www.list.co.uk/article/2794-...-alexander-mcarthur-and-h-kingsley-long-1935/

 

[Ich bin ein Mod]

If you're after some more Kelman, I'd recommend "A Chancer", think its up there with "How Late it Was, How Late"

Alasdair Gray is easily the greatest Scottish writer though.

 

[Plastercast]

I took A Chancer out from the library, but I couldn't get past the first chapter because I cannot stand gambling and card games. I think I need to open up my mind a little, likesay learn to enjoy things regardless of what they're about. Like look past the set and setting and see the story, the bit that is important. I have Busconductor Hines on order, but someone else has it on loan at present. Fucking bampot bastards, return it to the library at once!!!

I think what I liked most about 'How Late...' is that it's first person... I realised this when I took a book out today and after three pages I took it back. Not because it was bad but. If I remember rightly most of my favourite books are written in the first person. I like getting into the main character's mind, having them tell me what's happening to them, rather than being told a story about some people by a narrator. Maybe that's why most of the story books on my shelf are non-fiction autobiographical stories - they're written from one person's perspective and they are the main character like.