Filth

My book cover was very messed up and some of the pages did not look too good, but I did buy a used and “okay” instead of a new book.

FILTH is the hilariously tragic tale of policeman Bruce Robertson, one of the most unrepentantly vile characters I've ever had the pleasure to "meet".When a murder investigation puts a long-awaited promotion to Detective Inspector within grasp, Bruce sets about securing that promotion by pitting his co-workers against one another with a series of mind games and ruthless manipulations. All the while he is stressing about his crumbling marriage and his series of extra-marital affairs which have started to get out of control.Loud, obnoxious, and foul-mouthed, Bruce uses his authority as a means to further his own ends (namely, acquiring coke and wh*res--and loads of OT pay). In addition to being a corrupt cop(who is, ironically, a good detective), Bruce has a wee problem with addiction (namely, coke and wh*res--with booze to round things out nicely). Bruce is a thoroughly unpleasant man--a liar, a pervert, a thief, a racist (who totally digs that Motown sound), a shameless bigot, and more. However, digusting as he is, you can't help but snicker at his sarcastic narration and snarky commentary or at his lamentations over the incompetency and general uselessness of his fellow detectives.What keeps FILTH from being a runaway train of non-stop profanity and gratuitous sex & drugs, is that the author, Irvine Welsh, injects Bruce with just enough humanity, that you're allowed see the man beneath the filth and catch a glimpse of what could have been. You want him to succeed because in spite of Bruce's flaws (and there are MANY), you can't shake the feeling that maybe there is something in Bruce worth saving. Like any good novel, FILTH, makes you think about the characters even after you've put the book down. My thoughts on FILTH have always revolved around the the age-old question of Nature vs. Nuture: Was Bruce a product of his environment? Or did a roll of the genetic dice mean that he was doomed from the start?FILTH is an amazing book. I've read it enough times over the last couple of years that that it's earned a permanent spot my night-stand, though I wish I'd read it before I visited Scotland--it would have saved me a lot of embarrassment (hint: fanny doesn't have the same meaning in Scotland as it does in the US). And, of course, I'm champing at the bit to see the movie (if you have doubts about James McAvoy as Bruce, watch the trailer--it will put your mind at ease).

To the pantheon of damaged characters, antiheroes and the pathologically insane, add Bruce Robertson, an ambitious Detective Sergeant on the Edinburgh police force who is living with anger, secrets, a vicious rash and a tapeworm. He is seething with hatred toward virtually everyone in his life, which manifests itself in acts of brilliantly deranged sabotage and scenes of graphic violence so deftly drawn that I had to go back and re-read some of them two or three times, wincing and squirming each time. The language, the acts being described, and the sheer depravity of the character may be considered obscene - I certainly couldn't see recommending this book to my elderly aunt in Saginaw - but the story line is intensely absorbing and the narrative is spectacular, rivaling some of my all-time favorite writers: Will Self, Peter Carey and John Barth. I personally loathed and loved D.S. Robertson, and was surprised to find myself rooting for him to get the departmental promotion that inspires him to some of his most heinous behavior. The introduction of other voices to what is supposed to be a monologue serves both to provide back story and to underscore the character's increasingly unbalanced psyche. And the fact that one of the other voices belongs to an erudite and achingly self-conscious tapeworm is one of the things that makes the story so original and entertaining.Though I've seen "Trainspotting" several times, this is the first book I've read by Welsh. I love the way he shines a merciless klieg light on this character, exposing every pockmark and pustule (literally). I found myself enjoying every debased impulse and misplaced justice, no matter how cringe-inducing. And I appreciated Welsh sprinkling in a few scenes that were sit-com funny, as they provided a sense of genuine comic relief. It may be years before I can again bring myself to witness the utter atrocity that is D.S. Robertson, but in the mean time I will judge every other literary ne'er-do-well by the standard he has set.

I'm amazed that the author was able to get this book published. Most publishers run screaming from this kind of material. The main character has absolutely no good qualities, I learned like five new racial slurs reading this thing, the action gets interrupted by a sentient tapeworm, there's a bunch of explicit sex scenes that are definitely not written for the romance, and the ending just gets super weird.Most of the book is reading the assorted adventures of police officer Bruce Robertson, who is probably the most wicked character in British literature since Aaron in Titus Andronicus. You kind of are left wondering if there's really a plot at all or if it's going to be more like Trainspotting where it was just a collection of short stories collected into a "novel." Eventually things do start coming together in an ending you didn't allow yourself to guess because it was too unrealistic, but nevertheless it's satisfying in a "this book has a talking tapeworm" kind of way.Also: the word scolex is consistently misspelled in my edition. Just mentioning.

I feel like a scratched record because I receive all Welsh books I've read in the same way. That doesn't mean each one is the same as they last but you get taken through all the emotions no matter which one you read. Normally I want to like a character and root for at least one to enjoy a book but I don't find it necessary with Irvine Welsh because the plot and the laughs are enough to make you want to keep reading.Just don't read this one while eating.

A strong stomach is required to start this book never mind finish it but I have to say I enjoyed it, sad person that I am!!BUT See the attached photo of my kindle. What’s this all about Amazon? Too many pages like this did spoil the read but the contents are linteresting” so still have to give it 5 stars based on that. Suggest you buy the paper back!

This is unlike anything I’ve ever read. For the people complaining about the tapeworm text imposed over the other text, I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be like that.I love mental, unusual stories however this was on a different level. Bruce was an unrepentant, horrible b**tard with no excuses or reasons. It’s impossible to feel pity or understanding until you read the end parts which the movie neglects.

Bought this after seeing the film, and it's the first Welsh book I've read. Have just finished it, so thought it would be a good time to review it.Did I like it? I really don't know. It's disturbing for sure, and some bits are ghoulishly funny. I found myself exhausted by the main character's unrelenting bingeing on drugs, booze, food and sex, but also in awe of his clear headed amoral scheming to sabotage all and sundry around him.The tapeworm thing is difficult on Kindle, but I switched to iPad half way through, and then it became a much more powerful element.I'm embarrassed to say that the end left me very sad indeed. In all very powerful and shocking. I'll certainly read it again, but in a few month's time when I've recovered.

Getting my way through the entire Welsh collection in chronological order and this is another darkly entertaining read. Not sure if the entire series is focused on the any antagonist/s as the main character/s but is a welcome relief from most series, as it's a truly thought provoking unveiling of the darkest part of our psyches I guess.