Clifford Blades: Registrar General for Scotland's Office, a member of Bruce's masonic lodge; a neurotic, insecure man, Clifford's marriage problems form one of the novel's major subplots. Ok, enough about the filth in Filth. Aside from the bombastic protagonist, it is actually an excellent crime novel. Full of misdirection, twists, turns, and surprises; if you enjoy the Angels In the Moonlight and The White Trilogy, you will probably enjoy filth. Obviously Filth takes the "bad cop" concept and offensive rhetoric up several notches, but it's a brilliantly written investigation novel. The book is disgusting in every imaginable way, but it somehow keeps you going. Even though the situations he puts himself into are a bit on the surreal side, the main character himself is actually a quite realistic human asshole and very few times falls under the caricaturized version of evil. We’ll be hopping over to Ireland and joining our friend Bunny McGarry soon. That should be fun. *** Filth is a 1998 novel by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh. A sequel, Crime, was published in 2008. [1] It was adapted into a 2013 film of the same name, directed by Jon S. Baird with James McAvoy in the lead role.

But for all its outrageousness, this is a complex novel that digs deep into the ugly side of the human soul. Push the smut to one side. Actions have consequences. And even bullies were once bairns*. The true meaning of "filth". This was not a joke anymore. The final chapters of the book took on a seriousness that was difficult to deal with, and incongruous to the warped speed the rest of the book drove at. I cannot stress enough how much the ending shook me. It left me NUMB.And I mean, the caring up until you’re actually crying, that’s no small feat of Mr. Welsh here. Those final chapters were simply amazing. Bruce Robertson: The novel's protagonist and anti-hero, Bruce Robertson is an amoral, Machiavellian, misanthropic, racist, sexist, psychopathic Detective Sergeant. Francis Begbie – Begbie was a main character in Trainspotting, its prequel Skagboys and sequel Porno. He is briefly mentioned a few times in Filth, associated with Lexo as running a second-hand furniture store in Leith. Mention of the business Begbie and Lexo are in is also made in Marabou Stork Nightmares and Porno.

Filth is not an entertaining play. It’s not an easy play to watch. But the questions and ethical dilemmas it raises are relevant to us all. And it contains the finest stage performance this city has seen. Alex "Lexo" Setterington – Bruce references the violent rape that Lexo and his gang of football hooligans committed in Marabou Stork Nightmares. I loved this book, and I will read more from Welsh once my nerves settle down. My buddy reader and I were both a little out-of-sorts after finishing, the ending is jaw dropping. I won't recommend this to anyone, especially kids. If you ever see an underage person reading this, take the book away from them, and sent them to bed without their dinner. Read at your own risk. And in all honesty, how do we expect frontline workers (coppers/ firies/ ambos/ nurses and all the others) to not be a little off kilter with all they have to deal with daily. From the stuff we dish out.There are several reasons why I will never forget this book. The main reason is Bruce Robertson, the main character of "Filth".