Glue

When I first read Trainspotting a few years back, I was hooked on the harsh style that Irvine Welsh brought to his stories. Although a bit hard to get accustomed to, the novel immediately shot to the top of my favorites and I was recommending it to everyone. I eagerly snatched up anything the man published and although I enjoyed them, I felt like he had lost a step from the power of Trainspotting. "Filth" in particular was a bit of a stretch. I loved the gruesome, abominable main character, but it struggled to maintain a common ground. His latest work, Glue, re-establishes Welsh as one of the few writers who is so in touch with both a beautiful, original style and a firm knowledge of humanity. Through the perspective of four lifelong friends he tells a story of incredible highs and terrifying lows. Throughout all though is the inevitable bond that we can all relate to. The childhood friends who you have nothing in common with other than the fact that you were childhood friends. A beautiful, beautiful book that I never wanted to end.

I can't understand the complaints of English native speakers that this book is unreadable. Even for me as a nonnative speaker, the language was not too difficult, even if I dinnae want me bairns to pick it up. I disagree that the novel would work as well or better if it were written in "proper English". Like some other authors (e.g. Franz Xaver Kroetz in German), Welsh derives some of his power from the interplay of "proper" language and dialect. Overall, I did not find his novel as enjoyable as _Trainspotting_, Welsh's best known (and, in my opinion, his best) novel. On the other hand, one quality of _Glue_ that _Trainspotting_ does not have is the long term portrait: Instead of a snaphot of hooligan/junkie life, you get to see where these young men and women come from, how their attitudes change over time, and how their life choices play out some years later.

As usual Mr. Welsh has created a book not for the squeamish,politically correct or easily offended. Definitely one of my favorite books is year. I think that he creates strong characters based on his own knowledge. The story of four boys growing up together. They're coming of age and how life ebbs and flows and how it changed us and those around us. How we can drift apart and come together again.He created a book that is both heartbreaking and hilarious in parts. Nice touch with having a few Trainspotting characters make an appearance.

Welsch is an amazing writer and I love the authentic Scottish dialect he gives his characters. His stories are always real, gritty and full of twists, turns, and surprise endings!

as i am what i consider a "dedicated" fan of Irvine Welsh's writing, i was eagerly anticipating my copy of "Glue" in the mail, and while i would not go as far as say i was unsatisfied with this book, i was definitely unimpressed. set in the familiar surrounding of the Scottish "schemes," Glue follows three decades in the lives of four friends who have an intimate attachment and loyalty to each other that supercedes even time. although they are different in many ways, they share a unique bond that begins at where most bonds begin, their societal position. all of the same working class neighborhood, the boys [Terry, Carl, Billy, and Andrew] are actually linked up through their parents, if not their elementary school. needless to say, the similarities end there. Carl is a budding DJ, Billy a budding boxer, Terry is a budding sex fiend, and Andrew is a budding loser. all of them are nice lads, and Welsh is an expert at describing the psychology of each character so that the reader can see the inherant differences in each ones modus operandi. they each approach each situation, weather it be girls, thugs, drugs or death, with their own seperate ideas and methods, but their unflappable bond remains unsevered throughout it all. Welsh's prose, written largely in Scottish dialect, is not as tight as expected, and sometimes the plot gets a little tangental, but each chapter, as told from the first person perspective of one of the characters [usually one of the four main guys, but sometimes from an ancillary character] has ceratin gems of insight and developement that carries the reader on to the next. hardly is the language as strong and gritty as "Trainspotting" or "The Acid House", which had some truly inspiring prose, but the fluidity and effortless dialog is still in tact. still, even though it is stressed repeatedly, the reader never gains the same bond with the characters, nor sees the strength of the bond between them. it just never becomes clear just WHY these guys are so loyal to eachother. i personally didnt see the charm. unlike the characters in Trainspotting, which not only are these lads most similar too, but who also make a welcome and sometimes hilarious appearance at different times in the book, i never understood why the antics of certain guys in this book were tolerated. there was no sense of desperation that kept them together [like in Trainspotting] nor were some of them that 'lovable,' regardless of their charisma. in the end, i didnt see much redemption in any of the characters, and didnt care what happened to them. but as i said, its not like i wasnt satisfied, and the growth of the characters, while sometimes tedious, was well done. when you get towards the end of the story it makes sense that they would be where they are, and the writing, while not as stunning as some of his past efforts, is better than a lot of writing you'll find. its a good read for fans of Welsh's, but not essential overall.

Irvine Welsh digs a bit deeper beneath the surface of his characters than normal here, stark reality of hard days in Edinburgh with cameos of the Trainspotting characters thrown in, but a book of the reality of how friendships can be lost and won back !

Well written, a bit dark on moments, but with a lot of witty welshs details..

I thought it was a story about friendship but found it very depressing. Plus, trying to decipher the dialect that the author used for the characters speaking became increasingly frustrating and I finally gave up trying to read it. I wish I had reviewed the contents a little further before I bought it!