Irvine Welsh – Reheated Cabbage

Publishers Weekly“A hilarious collection from his Trainspotting years...” Welsh shines most brilliantly when portraying his solipsistic Scots head-butting the rock-hard ceiling in hopes of escaping, be it through booze, drugs, soccer or sex, from a violent world that offers little peace but plenty of humor...

The Times“Welsh’s relish for degradation covers up a strong sentimental streak...” No doubt Welsh is playing a ­literary version of Cash in the Attic by dusting off these pieces, but presumably he does think they deserve another outing...

The Telegraph“Welsh’s work is never heartless or amoral...” The stories are very funny in their black, often cartoonish way. There’s also a degree of zest to the storytelling that leaves more decorous short stories looking pallid by comparison...

The New Yorker“Not yet reviewed.”

The New York Times“Not yet reviewed.”

The Independent“This is a motley assortment, it's a total hoot to read...” There is an honesty which makes it completely convincing, despite the outrages that frequently occur. The author might not take this collection too seriously, but we certainly should...

Scotsman“Welsh's invigorating iconoclasm has all but ebbed away...” The reader can compare the pre-millennial Welsh that burst on to the literary scene with the scabrous and seminal Trainspotting with the present-day, best-selling phenomenon. It makes you wonder where it all went wrong...

Guardian“A collection of fairly B-list stories from the late 1990s...” Like "The State of the Party", the stories are all perfectly fine - if you enjoy Welsh's melanoma-black body-horror humour - and some are more than that, lit up at least in places by tiny spinning mirrors...

Financial Times“An enjoyable Welsh outing, by turns brutish and funny...” Most intriguing is the only new piece, the novella-length “I Am Miami”. An elderly teacher bumps into two of his far-from-model pupils in Florida. What starts as a clash between Calvinism and hedonism ends with reconciliation and engagement...

Book Bag“May even indicate a new, potentially fruitful avenue for him in future...” In its affirmation of the value of marriage, restrained comedy, and its subtle and ambiguous handling of character and moral themes, 'I am Miami' is the most satisfying of all the stories here...