Ok I have to admit up front that Irvine Welsh is one of my favourite authors. Whenever I read an Irvine book I find myself getting into Character and I read his books as if I am talking in the broad Leith accents of either Renton, Spud, Sick Boy or Begbie.
Yes the boys made famous by Trainspotting and T2 played by Ewan Macgregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller amd Robert Carlyle are back amd back with a vengeance. Renton is a globetrotting DJ manager who is tired and feeling guilty about ripping off Begbie all those years ago with the drug money, Spud is still Spud, a drug addict and homeless living off whatever money he can get hand to mouth, Sick Boy is in the business of upmarket escorts and getting himself laid whenever he can amd Jim Francis as he is now known is a world renowned artist living with his wife and children in California.
We pick up the story with Sick Boy returning to Edinburgh to spend Christmas with his family. He takes his brother in law out for a drink to celebrate his 50th birthday and spikes his drink with drugs before encouraging him to sleep with another woman. What his brother doesn’t know or clearly remember is that his misdeameaner is videoed and his wife and son end up seeing it on Christmas Day before kicking him out of home.
Jim Francis meets with Renton by chance on a plane back to US and Renton, after realising that Begbie doesn’t want to kill him, wants to pay him back the money he stole from him all those years back plus interest. Jim doesn’t want to know about the money and claims it’s water under the bridge now which is not what Renton expects. They rekindle their friendship and remember old times but Jim’s Begbie remains somewhere under the surface.
With Spud out begging he meets his old pal Mikey Forrester who is now working for local gang lord Victor Syme. Mikey offers Spud £1,000 to do a job for Syme that simply involves picking up a package in Istanbul and taking it to Berlin. Spud’s trip is hilarious as he takes his dog Toto (named after the band that sung Africa !) and it all goes horribly wrong. Syme is needless to say not impressed and wants payback for the failed mission.
At the same time Sick Boy goes to Syme to try and locate his brother in law and falls into his debt as a result which leads to disastrous consequences for both of them.
Without spoiling the plot any further, what happens is a hilarious, dark foul mouthed, drug ridden journey for all the boys that leaves one of the them dead. Which one dies, leaves you hanging until just before the end of the book.
Welsh is on top form once again with Dead Man’s Trousers and his black comedy keeps you wanting more and more but sadly all great books have to come to an end. This book to me is clearly a 10/10, not a mark I would give to many books but I really do love these characters and with the way Welsh writes in the Leith dialect it has you speaking the words of the story in the way of the characters throughout.
So if you are on holiday when should you read this ? Firstly don’t read it when the kids are around or leave it lying around for them to pick up as the language is often quite choice. But this book can be read at anytime but allow yourself long periods as you won’t want to put it down.
I hope that despite the loss of a character the Trainspotting Boys Return again soon in another Welsh novel.
Further information on Irvine Welsh and his various books can be found at http://www.irvinewelsh.net/
Happy reading
Canberralover
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