The Acid House
by
Irvine Welsh
A collection of short stories by the author of
Trainspotting. Like that famous book,
The Acid House follows the misadventures of a wasted generation who lose their lives to their addiction of choice. Alcohol; drugs; sex; violence – anything to escape reality.
The stories tones vary wildly.
The Last Resort On The Adriatic is a tragic story of lost love.
Where the Debris Meets the Sea is a surreal affair in which celebrities like Madonna and Kim Basinger idolise plumbers and tilers.
A Blockage In The System is a near impenetrable dialogue between three Scottish plumbers trying to unclog a toilet. While
The Two Philosophers is probably the origins of
Fight Club in which two academics decide to engage in a pub fight. What connects them all is Welsh’s use of authentic dialogue and acerbic humour.
The best story of the bunch is
The Acid House, in which a drug addled teenager trades souls with a new-born baby. It is a deranged piece of writing and is never short of hysterical imagery – such as a heavily Scottish-accented drunk baby debating self-control with his feminist “mother”.
Overall, this is a quality collection. Fans of
Trainspotting should give it a look.