A book review-Last exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby jr.

I actually bought this book kind of by mistake. I was on one of those book bundle websites where you can buy 27 Alistair McClean books for £9.26, and I tapped "Irvine Welsh" into the search bit. Needless to say nothing happened ( I can never get the magnifying glass thing to do anything, must be me) so I highlighted it and pressed "enter" which is my usual method. Up came the usual suspects (not literally he didn't write that) but stuff like "Trainspotting", "Porno", "Glue" and the like, all of which I've read. There were also some lesser know works which I'd read too, and "Last Exit to Brooklyn" was at the bottom. I'd long since got bored of actually concentrating on what I was doing, so I clicked on "pay" and shelled out the £2.17 or whatever it was.

Anyway it turns out Irvine Welsh didn't write it at all, but a slightly strange bloke called Hubert Selby Jr did. Irvine Welsh is a bit of a fan by all accounts, and wrote an introduction about how the book was a modern masterpiece, had changed his life when he read it, how it will still be read in 100 years time and all that old bollocks. Not only that, but back when it was published in the late 60's the book was banned and was the subject of a court case, so controversial were its contents. Furry muff I thought, I like a bit of controversy so I gave it a bash to see what all the fuss was about.

First thing is, don't let your Mum or your kids stumble upon this one and start reading it. Don't leave it in the loo (or at least if you do put it somewhere high up). This really is an odd and at times disturbing piece of work from a man who clearly has a very vivid imagination and that's being charitable. There's a few stories kind of woven loosly together, all concerning a run down area of Brooklyn in the 50's. There's wife beating, prostitution, transexual relationships, a man who commits an unspeakably indecent act and lots more besides.

So is it any good, that's the question? Well, they say that it's art, that it was a snapshot of its time and Irvine Welsh says it influenced the way he writes. I can see the last point, because it has that same phonetic thumbprint that much of his stuff has, equally you don't get words in "speechmarks" when people are in conversation, there's more of a rhythm to the spoken word, a natural pace to it all. As for whether it's any good or not, and whether it's art or not, do me a favour. I personally read it and hoped there's be a point to it all somewhere before the end, somewhere beneath all the depravity and depression. I was disappointed though, there wasn't and it is bollocks. Disturbing bollocks, but bollocks all the same.