Filth

by Irvine Welsh

Book Overview

There are some sizable flies in the ointment, though: a missing wife and child, a nagging cocaine habit, some painful below-the-belt eczema, and a string of demanding extramarital affairs. The last thing Robertson needs is a messy, racially fraught murder, even if it means overtime--and the opportunity to clinch the promotion he craves. Then there's that nutritionally demanding (and psychologically acute) intestinal parasite in his gut. Yes, things...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393318680
• ISBN13: 9780393318685
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Deeply Disturbed (in the best way)

Never in all my years of reading/watching true crime, horror, and psychological thrillers have I ever been so deeply unsettled by a character's or person's thought process. The worst parts are the moments of compassion and sympathy you'll feel for him - despite how evil and irredeemable he is. It's an amazing read - though challenging if you aren't familiar with a Scottish accent and slang. I definitely recommend it to all of my fellow true crime and horror buffs out there. It'll make you question yourself.

A Depressing, but Compelling Story of Surprising Depth

While it's one of the more depressing books I've read in a while, it was also one of the most enjoyable books as well. Welch does a great job with dialogue, and the narrative is entertaining. There were rare moments that I found less than credible, but they tended to be funny moments that did not detract from the book's value. He also does an excellent job of developing the character of his protagonist, who is one of the most rounded, complex and believable characters to be found in contemporary fiction. Admittedly, many will disagree with that last assertion, but I think that that is due to a misreading of the character and the book. The protagonist Bruce Robertson seems sociopathic at the outset. He is a mean and cruel man, unable to empathize with others, and who entertains himself with the misery of others. He does not seem to have a noble sentiment in him, and he leads a filthy life of cruelty and debauchery. But Robertson is not a reliable narrator, even when it comes to himself. He believes himself to be this sociopathic monster, when in reality, he's a better person than he believes himself to be. Sometimes his more noble aspects slip out. More often, he's gratuitously cruel. Over time, we realize that Robertson is not really a sociopath at all, but that he actually suffers from depression. This depression is brought on, and made worse by Robertson's inability to release his emotions. He fills his spare time with alcohol, drugs, and sex to avoid thinking about the horrors he has confronted on his job as a police man, such as grisly murders and child abuse. He constructs a tough façade so that he does not have to confront his feelings about his wife and daughter who have left him, or about his rough childhood. These squelched emotions eat away at him from the inside, and destroy his soul. The tapeworm, which takes over narrative duties at times, represent these parasitic feelings eating away at him from the inside because he has been unable to deal with them in a psychologically healthy way. Disgust with Robertson gives way to pity as we realize the spiral that Robertson is trapped in. Unable to establish intimacy with friends or family because of his avoidance of his problems, he has no one to talk to about these problems as they worsen and take over his life and personality. His avoidance of these emotional problems manifest themselves physically in the form of a painful eczema on his nether regions. Eventually, we come to realize that Robertson is a better person than he will acknowledge, and this is most evident when he tries to save the life of a young man with a genetic heart problem whose death leaves behind a wife and young son. Tellingly, in the immediate aftermath, Robertson's anger is ignited when a reporter asks him how the man's death made him feel. Immediately the psychological walls are constructed, and the brief glimpse we have of a "human" Bruce Roberston gives way to the brute image we are confr

Inspired weirdness

"Filth" is doubtless one of the most brilliantly sick books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. It's disgusting, offensive, obscene, and loads of fun. Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson of Edinburgh, the book's protaganist and nattator, deserves to go down in history as one of fiction's great antiheroes. He's a highly unpleasant character, a bigoted Machiavellian who looks down his nose at all those around him without showing much reverence or respect for anyone or anything. He spends most of the narrative drinking, doing cocaine, abusing his authority as a police officer, angling to get a promotion by any means necessary, covertly tormenting his poor co-worker Bladesy, and having lots and lots of sex. The narration, delivered entirely in Scottish dialect, is littered with profanity (apparently they're big fans of the "C" word over in Scotland) and describes Robertson's personal life down to its most grisly details. Although Bruce Robertson is not at all a likeable person, I think what makes him such an appealing character is that for all his abrasiveness, he's still rather believable. Sure, he's somewhat of a caricature, but at the same time he's a sort of perverse everyman. I mean, who knows how many people like Bruce Robertson are out there, playing nice to our faces while never letting on their true thoughts and maybe even plotting against us? I'm willing to bet that there are many such people. Detective Sergeant Robertson is just one hilarious example of the type of misanthropic person that the world is probably full of. I also like the idea of having Bruce's tapeworm do some of the narrating, especially towards the end of the book; it's an innovative way of filling the reader in on the back story and it's often pretty funny as well. The only part of this book I didn't like very much was the ending, as it was the one thing I didn't want to see happen. Oh well, this is still a hard-hitting and humorous read. Highly recommended.

Disgusting, disturbing and brilliant.

Some of the elements are not original. The evil nature of the rscist, sex-obsessed alcoholic drug-addicted cop is explained by an unhappy childhood in which he was not loved. The solution of the murder mystery is similar to Agatha Christie's "Murder of Roger Ackroyd" but this is a long way from Agatha Christie. Much of the story is told in phonetically spelled Scottish dialect. and some from the point of view of a tapeworm. The medical aspects say more for Scottish helminthology than dermatology.

For the tapeworm in us all

Welshs' Bruce Robertson has not one redeeming personal quality that is required for our co-existence as a society. After all, he is a liar, thief adulterer,racist;a drunk with a "wee" coke problem,a gay basher with no respect for his superiors and especially women in authority/general. The books Scottish dialect does take some getting used to especially its rhryming slang, but it is brutally honest as far as seeing life in the first person of a true "sociopath" whose progressive demise into the abyss is at the same time very gratifying, yet very depressing, for Bruce took "life" for granted. He was fortunate in that he had a family,friends and freedom but his insecurities and selfishness fuelled his need to destroy others, so that in effect if he couldnt enjoy life then no-one else would.He was jealous of anyone that dared to live a life that he could so have easily attained. This was a brilliant book,a laugh a minute -no even a second - but its message far exceeds this aspect and after all the schemes,backstabbing,prostitutes,drugs and ointment you could poke a stick at, this was all that this masterful storyteller was trying to say. This book could not have been called anything else and I'll never be able to look at a pig again without thinking of Bruce. "We hate ourself for being unable to be other than what we are" Irwin Welsh - "Filth"

Irvine Welsh---A Sobering Perspective

Irvine Welsh didnt read much fiction, before becoming a novelist, and therefore he has no regard for lit norms. He has a fresh, sobering point of view that seeths through all of his work. "Filth" his newest novel, that takes place in the same literary universe as "Trainspotting" and "Marabou Stork Nightmares,"(Begbie, and Lexo are mentioned in all three novels, and many others are mentioned in two of the three) is another must read by this talented author."Trainspotting" is about the junkies, "Marabou Stork Nightmares" is about the thugs, and now we see the point of view of a policeman in "Filth."Irvine Welsh does a little more chiseling away at our xenophobia, he creates characters that are so lifelike they jump off the pages at you. "Filth" is about a nasty cop, but you almost find yourself rooting for him, hoping he gets his promotion, and that he can keep his superiors happy. Irvine Welsh has been called the voice of the chemical generation, and drugs are commonly dispersed in the plots of his novels, but that is all beside the point. His social commentary, and perspective are invaluable. A naturally gifted "writer" who keeps you turning the pages, following characters that seem all too familiar.As far as a brief synopsis of the novel, read the back cover, i wouldnt want to give anything away. It's a must read....along with his previous two novels, and "ecstacy," and "The Acid House"Irvine Welsh is still young for a novelist, Dostaevski didnt write his best work until he was in his 60's, same goes with bukowski, burroughs, other authors that may interest you if you like irvine welsh. All I can say is, keep it coming Irvine Welsh, and maybe we will see a grand masterpiece in the future. Although he hasnt hurt the collective collection of literature with his work so far. I personally put him up there with the greats, remeniscint of the before mentioned authors. READ IT!!!