Author:Irvine Welsh
The characters in this extraordinary book are often - on the surface - depraved, vicious, cowardly and manipulative, but their essential humanity is never undermined. Two professors of philosophy turn pugilists; Leith removal men become the objects of desire for Hollywood goddesses; God turns Boab Coyle into a house-fly; and in the novella, 'A Smart Cunt', the drug-addled young hero spins off on a collision course with his past. The Acid House is a bizarre, disturbing and hilarious collection from one of the most uncompromising and original writers around.
Every bit as filthy, funny and provocative as the novel that proceeded it [Trainspotting]… Welsh's first collection of short stories is a riot of colourful characters, eye-watering vernacular and imaginative story-telling. This is one of Britain's best writers in his swaggering pomp, and the result is brilliantly addictive.
—— EsquireAt the top of her form, she is remarkable
—— Jane Shilling , The TimesShockingly beautiful and painfully funny
—— ObserverThe quality of the writing should help to explain Enright's having won the 2007 Man Booker Prize ... single lines and paragraphs are so well crafted, with such salty, pleasantly brutal sensibility, that these stories function like beguiling advertisements for Enright's novels. After sampling Taking Pictures, those who, like me, have not yet read The Gathering will likely move her Man Booker winner nearer to the top of the pile beside the bed
—— Lionel Shriver , Daily TelegraphShe's a sphinx, an alchemist, a literary witch who sticks a spell on you. Angela Carter and Ali Smith can do this too.... buy it, read it, it isn't realism, it's music
—— ScotsmanEvery one of these stories takes you to a place you might rather not be in, but which you are drawn in to explore, allured by their dark brilliance
—— Hermione Lee , GuardianEnright writes beautifully about the distance of desire
—— Financial TimesDazzling ...These narrative snapshots are skilfully framed and in-focus, the language forthright and fresh
—— Time OutThis short story collection gives those new to her oeuvre a chance to delve into gems from her past...precociously vibrant
—— Melissa McClements , Financial TimesAll the elements of Welsh's best work remain in tact here: the brilliant imagination, the phonetically-transcribed Scots dialect, the humour, the gritty realism
—— Woman's WayWhat's striking about these early stories is that the thicker Welsh was steeped in the primordial goo of his Edinburgh Scots phonetics, the better the storytelling got
—— Alexander Linklater , ObserverAs you would expect, the stories in this collection involve a certain amount of cultural tourism to the lower depths, undertaken with black humour... Welsh's relish for degradation covers up a strong sentimental streak
—— Victor Sebestyen , Sunday TimesWelsh's transcription of Scots dialect is brilliant... Welsh also has a fabulous sense of the absurd... The overall vibe of these stories is dark and grim. And fierily, fiercely funny
—— Brandon Robshaw , Independent on SundayA sparkling and adventurous writer
—— Dennis Potter