I did thing backwards – sorta. Back when Barnes & Noble placed Irvine Welsh's Porno out on the discount table, I bought it not knowing it was a sequel-of-sorts to Trainspotting. Okay, fine. I bought Trainspotting at Hastings back when McAllen, Texas housed a location. After reading that book - this must've been on the old book blog (the one that I never really paid any attention to, so I won't link my review, if I wrote one, that is) - I surfed Amazon to read some customer reviews on the book (don't ask why I did this because it's a bad habit I broke long ago). That's when I realized that some of the characters featured in the sequel had their own book entitled Glue. Great, another book I have to buy. That being said, it took me nearly a decade before I started reading it. And nearly three weeks before I finished it.
From childhood to adulthood, Glue follows the story of four friends coming from the schemes of Edinburgh. There's Carl Ewart, whose passion for music is destined for greatness; "Juice" Terry Lawson, whose only concern in life is getting his hole; Billy Birrell, whose dedication to his sport makes him into a local celebrity; and doomed Andrew Galloway, whose run with bad luck helps steer the course of his friends' lives. Mixing in humor that he used in Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh manages to keep the reader engaged in this slice of life novel told in four separate decades of the characters' lives.
The novel also features some of the beloved characters of Trainspotting, which is why – I guess – that reviewer stated that Porno acted as a sequel-of-sorts for both novels. Renton makes an appearance as does Begbie and Spud. Some of the events of the novel are mentioned in Glue, as well.
Glue is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Also, keep an eye out for the Trainspotting boys in Welsh's upcoming novel, Skagboys. Until next time, happy huntin'.
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