Reader's Block

I finally got through Irvine Welsh's brilliant novel titled Trainspotting. It is an amazing novel that is well worth the effort. It takes some effort because of two reasons. First, it is written in thick Scottish dialect/accent. That takes a few chapters to get used to. The authenticity of the novel is increased ten fold because of this, but it does take some getting used to. Secondly, the beauty of the novel lies in the complex subject matter and deep yet fleeting refernces to everyday life. To rush through this novel, would not do it justice. So, it should take anyone a week or two to get through.

The movie that was released under the same name starring Ewan McGregor is excellent in itself. However, like all other adaptations, it does not do any justice to the book. The book is a completely different read than the movie. Events that the movie is centered around are mere pages long in the book. It is more a social commentary on life than just a few events.

The whole book is written in the Scottish dialect with the story being conveyed through a handful of principal characters. Sometimes, Welsh even tells the story through a completely new character that we never see again. Rarely does the narrator take the story into his own hands. This showcases Welsh's brilliant writing as he captures the moment by sporadically using some characters and giving the reader a view of the story from their eyes for a few minutes. In this manner you come to love some characters that you otherwise disliked and you come to loathe others.

Welsh captures the drug scene of Edinburgh so well that it would not be a stretch to say that, he himself must have been involved in it at some point. The sheer mastery of his explanations of the effects of some drugs is astounding. The story jumps from one moment to another months away. This makes the novel fast in some parts and masterfully slow in others.

This is a controversial masterpiece- through and throgh. Highly recommended.

Next up on the reading list is M.G. Vassanji's Giller Prize winning novel, The Book Of Secrets.