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Title/Author

Filth

Irvine Welsh

Average Review Rating Average Rating 9/10 (1 Review)
Book Details

Publisher : Vintage

Published : 1999

Copyright : Irvine Welsh 1998

ISBN-10 : PB 0-09-959111-1
ISBN-13 : PB 978-0-09-959111-5

Publisher's Write-Up

With the festive season almost upon him, Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson is winding down at work and gearing up socially - kicking off Christmas with a week of sex and drugs in Amsterdam. There are irritating flies in the ointment, though, including a missing wife, a nagging cocaine habit, a dramatic deterioration in his genital health, a string of increasingly demanding extra-marital affairs. The last thing he needs is a messy murder to solve. Still it will mean plenty of overtime, a chance to stitch up some collegues and finally clinch the promotion he craves. But as Bruce spirals through the lower reaches of degradation and evil, he encounters opposition - in the form of truth and ethical concience - from the most unexpected quarter of all: his anus. In Bruce Robertson, Welsh has created one of the most corrupt, misanthropic characters in contemporary fiction , and has written a dark, disturbing and very funny novel about sleaze, power, and the abuse of everything. At last, a novel that lives up to its name.

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Reader Reviews

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Review by Steven Lomax (310711) Rating (9/10)

Review by Steven Lomax
Rating 9/10
Filth, a psychological crime novel by Irvine Welsh, is arguably his best work since or including his tour de force - Trainspotting. Set amongst the dark and foreboding Edinburgh housing schemes, the book follows the fortunes of Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson as he battles to solve a racially motivated killing.

The murder victim had connections in high places in London, so with every stalling day that passes, the pressure on the force begins to boil over. Not that all of this matters to Robertson. He is more bothered about making his trip to Amsterdam in the face of threatened suspended leave, whether he has enough alcohol and drugs to see him through, and whether his various plots against friends and colleagues are going to plan.

Typically Welsh, this book is mad, bad and dangerous, yet morality is set into the heart of the story. We once again realise at the genius of Welsh's story telling prowess. At the outset he leads us to think this is just another crime novel, but oh we are so wrong, it is so much more than that! It is an exploration into the weak and frail human mind, taking us the brink of almost no return. Welsh reveals his stories so deftly, like a folded piece of paper, and with each opening he throws us a few clues as to what is really going on.

I wholeheartedly recommend this piece, but beware, Irvine Welsh is not for the faint hearted.
Steven Lomax (31st July 2011)

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