TRAINSPOTTING BY IRVINE WELSH
The movie
Trainspotting
was one of this summer's
art-house hits, making more money per screen than
Independence Day
. But,
as is usually the case, the movie is nothing compared to the book. Actually,
the movie stays fairly true to Welsh's work, but its omissions are missed.
Welsh's style uses powerful imagery, which is enhanced by the accurate Scottish
dialect in which the dialogue is written. The characters are a cross-section of
the outcasts of Edinburgh. They are heroin junkies, alcoholic ruffians, sexual
deviants and thieves travelling in their own separate sphere, rejecting the
rat-race world of their parents and those they steal from. Welsh's style is a
series of written photographs, moments that have different narrators and a
loose chronology. While the movie features these written photographs
accurately, they are only a small selection of the many Welsh includes in the
novel. The reader also has the advantage of picturing the imagery as he or she
wishes to, as opposed to watching the graphic depictions in the film.
Trainspotting
is not for the weak of stomach, nor is it a fast and easy
read. The dialect, while colorful, is difficult to get used to. The novel is
humorous, but also profound, with a message that should not be ignored. For
those that have seen the movie, read the book anyway. Knowing the ending takes
little away from the enjoyment of the novel.
($10)
-- Nate Blair, Backpage Editor
This item appeared in the Features section of the December 6, 1996 issue.
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