'Filth' sucks you deep into the disturbed, poetic, perverted, brilliant and fevered brain of Detective Sargent Bruce 'Robbo' Robertson. Bruce is in line for a big promotion to DI, and will stop at nothing to get it. Eliminating the competition with psychopathic precision, whilst indulging in his own sordid urges (booze, sex, cocaine and a bit of the old ultraviolence), it seems hard to make this character relatable or even that likeable. However, through Welsh's horrific but poignant stream-of-consciousness writing, Bruce is not only irresistibly interesting, but also tragically pitiable. As we hear Bruce's traumatic origins (narrated by the self-conscious tapeworm swimming through our misogynistic anti-hero's belly), he becomes less of an amoral Dracula and more like a miserable Frankenstein's Monster. For me, THIS was the most intriguing part of the story.(SPOILERS)The bastard son of the serial rapist 'The Beast' who raped his young mother, Bruce was treated as such by his father and pretty much everyone else who knew him. All they could see was the face of the demonic criminal who had disgraced an innocent young woman. As his younger brother was basked in attention and love, Bruce was abused, ignored and even forced to eat coal. The worst part for me was that Bruce didn't even seem to know why this was. He would look in the mirror, desperately looking for what everybody else saw in him that was so 'wrong', so 'sick', so 'filthy'. All he could see was a sad, little boy who seemed incapable of being loved by anyone. Going back to my 'Frankenstein' thing, I see The Beast as being the Doctor and Bruce being The Creature, something which should never have been given life, that would be destined to live a cursed life if it did, that would be hated, that would be feared, that would drive everybody who he cares for away from him. When Bruce visits his real father in prison and begins beating on him, I think it is less to do with what he did to his mother and more the fact that he brought him into the world in the first place. He resents his own life. As a result, like the Creature and Milton's Satan, 'evil became (his) good'. At the end of the book, Robbo's suicide seems to be a petty way of getting back at his ex-wife. In the recent film adaptation with James McAvoy, however, it seems more like a genuine cat of repentance and redemption, which I think fits in well with this backstory. He sees himself as 'wrong', which ultimately he must put 'right', by ending it... but, that's just my view.The book was fantastic! I was a little disturbed by it at times (and even began questioning my own sanity during my reading of it), but it is a brilliant character study, a black comic tour-de-force and a brilliant introduction to Welsh's twisted, psycho-punk universe!... just try not too get too sucked into Robbo's head... it may be difficult to get out.
"Filth" comes close to living up to its name. Welsh's central character, Bruce Robertson, is a detective placed in charge of the investigation of a murdered young black man. Robertson, however, has other things on his mind. First there is his planned vacation to Amsterdam where he goes every year for drugs and debauchery. Then there is his desire for a promotion and the various "games" he plays with his fellow officers, attempting to pit them against one another and knock out his competition. On top of that are the numerous affairs with women in which he is engaged, his bouts of drinking and doing drugs, and the depression and sickness he feels from his wife being away and the tapeworm he has growing inside him (whose monologue occasionally interrupts the text). Robertson is a pretty terrible person, exerting his power and doing really cruel things to his friends, colleagues, and lovers for his own entertainment. He is sexist, racist, physically disgusting, and overall a personification of the title. "Filth" is a really interesting read. The first 100 pages are kind of slow, but once Robertson gets going, there is quite the lurid, morbid fascination of what his next action will be as he engages in ever more crass and risky behavior. Much of the book is about his various antics, which are often quite amusing, and less concerned with his ostensible investigation. Although that investigation serves as the backbone to the story and leads to some rather fantastic revelations at the end. The story propels toward its stunning conclusion, which really made the book for me personally. The last 80 pages or so are terrific as Welsh ties together everything from the preceding pages. He throws in a number of twists and surprises, you even begin to view Robertson in almost a sympathetic light, which considering his actions, is quite an amazing feat. A couple of minor notes: Welsh writes in Scottish slang, which at first is a bit intimidating, but you get accustomed to the terms relatively quickly, especially if you've read any of his previous works. Many of the words are phonetic, and if you sound them out you can figure out what he's saying. Also the Cockney rhyming slang is quite fun to decipher.Also, the interrupting tapeworm monologue seemed to me like a stupid idea, but it actually kind of works. It serves a greater narrative purpose toward the end, and you actually start to wonder what will happen to it as it struggles to survive. I think it also serves as a physical manifestation of the filth that is Robertson and the evil that is inside him. Overall a really good read. A bit rambling in the beginning, the book picks up speed as we become immersed in this sordid world. That said, I was kind of glad to finish the book and get this character out of my head.
What do You think about Filth (1998)?
Irvine Welsh is a freak.If I have to sum up the experience of reading this book in a word, it would be ‘Whirlpool’. Like an object swirling into its abyss, the characters in this novel are sucked into a whirlpool named “Bruce Robertson” and delve deeper into its grip with each page turn. If you are indifferent about this book, you might find a lot of its content repetitive but Irvine Welsh cuts right through a lot of pages with the ferociousness of Edgar Wright montages while unwrapping a new layer of perversity and despair at each turn.To call Bruce Robertson an unconventional hero would be a massive understatement. If you have read any reviews or descriptions of this book, you might find him described as misanthropic, vulgar, racist, manipulative, blah…blah….blah….but what they don’t mention is that he has an infectious sense of fun and is incredibly charming (probably not to the characters but certainly to the readers). While the fiction genre has often taken a stab at inventing it’s version of “fearless protagonist” Irvine Welsh adds his own spin to the idea. With an utter disdain for the consequences of his actions and rudderless nature, Bruce aims to live a life without fear and full of freedom. But it costs him...Dearly.Welsh’s prose does a great job of transporting the reader into his world. I don’t think I was ever compelled to read a book aloud as often as during this one. I wish I could get my hands on some audio book of his. Overall, this is a fun ride. Every bad thing about every person is funny. You just have to get the joke or get on with it.
—Sridatta
There are several reasons why I will never forget this book. The main reason is Bruce Robertson, the main character of "Filth".Bruce Robertson is a Police Investigator in Edinburgh. He's also, in every sense of the word, the WORST human being you can imagine. He's depraved, completely void of morality, racist, and worst of all, believes in what he does. Reading this book actually makes you fearful that there are people out there like this in positions of power. His actions are awe-inducing in their maliciousness. Sometimes they are horrifying. And amazingly, if you "connect" with this book (not everybody will), you will actually laugh out loud. Sometimes at yourself when you come to the realization that you are actually finding humor in his actions. In my adventures of reading modern fiction, I don't think I've ever come across such a horrible creation such as Bruce Robertson. He is filth.That said, what a thrill this book was, and what a thrill it is to discover a novelist such as Irvine Welsh! He's drunk on the possibilities of language, and that's what makes this book so special. He makes it bearable to co-exist with Bruce Robertson for almost 400 pages because he writes in such a way that gets you on the same wavelength as his character. And as Bruce finds justification in his actions and philosophies, even if you don't as a reader, you are still right there with him the entire time. The Scottish dialect is easy to get used to, and adds so much to the authenticity and grit to the story. Couple all of this with a truly satisfying ending, and this is one of the most fun and memorable reads I've come across. I'll surely be seeking out more Irvine Welsh to read as well.Update: 24 hours have passesd since I finished "Filth" and wrote the review above. As the book continues to linger on my mind, I find myself feeling more and more sympathy for Bruce. Truly the mark of a good book...that it remains with you and continues to make you think.
—Sal
Can you say "Gimmick"? This book was all about gimmicks, and shock-value for shock-value's sake. Which frankly isn't all that interesting to me, especially for three-hundred-odd pages. The main character that Welsh creates is, as the title suggests, utter filth. Racist, sexist, coke-addled, perverted, etc etc etc. The etc's just keep going. Alright already, you don't have to beat us over the head with it. Oh, I guess you do. The gimmick of having part of the story narrated by Main Character's tapeworm might have been an interesting gimmick if it hadn't been just one more gimmick in a garbage-ridden sea of gimmicks. Ditto for the Scotch colloquialism; kind of interesting, might have been good in other circumstances; mostly just hard to read. Sorry, really not my cup of tea: seemed annoyingly facile and trendy and really, when it comes down to it, not very interesting.
—Lawrence
