The Acid House, by Irvine Welsh (Vintage, £6.99 in UK)

The inevitable failure of the misguided film of the same name, which sought to weave four of these weird, wild stories into a…

The inevitable failure of the misguided film of the same name, which sought to weave four of these weird, wild stories into a coherent narrative, will probably persuade potential readers to avoid The Acid House like the plague. Which is a pity, because Welsh's merry band of lunatics, junkies, drunkards and psychotics sweep through these tear-stained pages on a wave of anti-social anger which, chopped into bite-sized pieces and combined with Welsh's delight in experimental narrative forms, makes this collection an exhilarating read.

Arminta Wallace

Arminta Wallace

Arminta Wallace is a former Irish Times journalist