A Decent Ride

December 15, 2015
When Ronald Checker hops into the back of Terry "Juice" Lawson's taxi late one night in Edinburgh, on the eve of Hurricane Bawbag, Terry finds himself entangled in various webs of love, lust, money, and violence. Checker is an American "punk businessman" complete with reality TV stardom, Southern pedigree, and fanatical, self-serving religious faith. When he hops into the back of Terry's cab and hires him for the remainder of his stay in the city, Terry's life begins to stockpile not only criminal plots, but also an onslaught of undesirables one might hope to avoid: his flighty half brother, Jonty MacKay, who works under-the-table painting gigs; his various bastard children; several prostitutes; "The Poof," a local gang ringleader, and his posse; a Dane with a competing offer on a rare bottle of Scotch; and too many women to count or catalog. Terry manages to deal drugs, placate the man-child millionaire, and shag his way across the entire Midlothian; he attempts to locate a missing call girl, nearly reconnects with his children, and discovers that his heart is no longer healthy enough for sex. His relationships are plenty, complicated, and nuanced. As always, Welsh (The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins, 2015, etc.) takes things from zero to 60 in his latest novel. Chapters alternate between the perspectives of various characters, and many are written entirely in broad Scots, one of Welsh's trademark stylings. Also true to form are the characters, always gritty and with unrelenting personality. The baggage each character lugs around is heavy, often resulting in various shades of violence such as rape, murder, and arson. Masterfully, Terry develops and stays true to his almost fiendish appetites throughout the novel, all while exploring his complicated family history and romantic endeavors, and still manages to avoid incarceration. This novel isn't for the squeamish, prudish, or faint of heart.

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December 15, 2015
Kinky-haired Juice Terry, the irrepressible, priapic taxi driver, porno performer, and coke dealer first seen in Glue (2001), steers this unpredictable ride through the seedier streets of Edinburgh. With a hurricane bearing down on the city, his first fare, and the novel's sescond narrative voice, is Ronald Checker, an American real-estate mogul and reality-TV star (think Donald Trump with a Mohawk) obsessed with acquiring three bottles of extraordinarily rare Skatch. The third main narrative voice (if you don't count occasional contributions from Terry's trouser snake) is wee Jonty, a slow-witted part-time painter who's soon struggling to cope with the unexpected end to his relationship with prostitute Jinty. Told in the phonetically rendered brogue that will be familiar to the author's fans ( They telt ye aw the things ye need tae say tae try n stoap thum ), this Scottish picaresque is bawdy, profane, funny, tragic, farcical, kindhearted, exuberant, and disgusting in almost equal measure. (In one great twist, Terry's sex addiction gets a cure no one, least of all Terry, will see coming.) Overstuffed, but still great entertainment, even if it lacks the emotional heft of Trainspotting (1996) and Skagboys (2012).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

February 15, 2016

Set in Edinburgh, this riotous tale marks the return of Terry "Juice" Lawson, cab driver, drug dealer, and part-time porn star with perhaps the strongest sex drive found in nature, who appeared previously in Glue. Here Terry becomes the personal chauffeur for Ronnie Checker, a brash American real estate developer and reality TV star, who is in Scotland presumably to negotiate a real estate deal but actually to pursue an old and priceless bottle of Scotch. A rare hurricane will soon upend Edinburgh life, leading to the death of Jinty, wife of the simple-minded Jonty, and an event that will figure prominently in the ensuing narrative. Following the hurricane, the doctor tells Terry he has a serious heart condition and can no longer have sex, a diagnosis that precipitates a major identity crisis. As he must avoid excitement, he takes up golf, with Ronnie's encouragement, and the two ultimately challenge a pair of Danes to a round for ownership of the precious bottle of Scotch. VERDICT Raucous, spirited, and highly profane, this "decent ride" is also an unexpected journey of self-discovery and one on which most readers will happily come along. [See Prepub Alert, 8/17/15.]--Lawrence Rungren, Andover, MA

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2015

Trainspotting author Welsh resurrects brazen, hustling, drug-dealing porn star Terry "Juice" Lawson, last seen in Glue, who encounters some interesting challenges (including a severely dented sexuality) as he steers his cab through Edinburgh's streets. Billed as Welsh's funniest, filthiest novel yet.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.