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Quick answer: If you loved Trainspotting, read Irvine Welsh's Filth and Skagboys, then A Clockwork Orange, Fight Club, Requiem for a Dream and Smack. All are raw, darkly funny novels about addiction, violence and young outsiders.
Irvine Welsh's 1993 debut follows a group of heroin users in Edinburgh, including Mark Renton, written in Scots dialect with brutal honesty and black humour. It is shocking, funny and influential. The books below offer similar edgy fiction about youth and the underside of society.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filth | Irvine Welsh | Adult | police corruption |
| Skagboys | Irvine Welsh | Adult | the prequel |
| A Clockwork Orange | Anthony Burgess | Adult | violence and free will |
| Fight Club | Chuck Palahniuk | Adult | dark satire |
| Smack | Melvin Burgess | Teen | teens and heroin |
| Requiem for a Dream | Hubert Selby Jr. | Adult | addiction novel |
| American Psycho | Bret Easton Ellis | Adult | dark satire |
| Less Than Zero | Bret Easton Ellis | Adult | numbed youth |
| Junky | William S. Burroughs | Adult | addiction classic |
| A Scanner Darkly | Philip K. Dick | Adult | drug-fuelled sci-fi |
| Naked Lunch | William S. Burroughs | Adult | experimental satire |
| Last Exit to Brooklyn | Hubert Selby Jr. | Adult | New York underworld |
| The Basketball Diaries | Jim Carroll | Adult | teen addiction memoir |
| Choke | Chuck Palahniuk | Adult | dark comedy |
| Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | Hunter S. Thompson | Adult | drug-fuelled satire |
1. Filth by Irvine Welsh
A corrupt Edinburgh police officer spirals. Dark and satirical.
Best for: police corruption.
2. Skagboys by Irvine Welsh
The story of Renton and friends before Trainspotting. Raw and sad.
Best for: the prequel.
3. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
A young thug is conditioned by the state. Inventive, violent and linguistically daring.
Best for: violence and free will.
4. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
An insomniac forms an underground fight club with a charismatic stranger. Dark, satirical and a cult classic.
Best for: dark satire.
5. Smack by Melvin Burgess
Two runaways fall into addiction. Gritty and honest.
Best for: teens and heroin.
6. Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.
Four people fall into addiction in Brooklyn. Brutal and powerful.
Best for: addiction novel.
7. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
A Wall Street banker hides violence behind designer labels. Extreme and satirical.
Best for: dark satire.
8. Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
A college student returns to Los Angeles and finds a world of drugs and numbness. Cold and brief.
Best for: numbed youth.
9. Junky by William S. Burroughs
Burroughs recounts his life as a drug user. Cold and clear.
Best for: addiction classic.
10. A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
An undercover narcotics agent loses himself in addiction. Bleak and darkly funny.
Best for: drug-fuelled sci-fi.
11. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
Burroughs's surreal novel of addiction and control. Fragmented and shocking.
Best for: experimental satire.
12. Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr.
Linked stories of outcasts in Brooklyn. Raw and shocking.
Best for: New York underworld.
13. The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll
A teenage athlete describes his descent into heroin. Raw and poetic.
Best for: teen addiction memoir.
14. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
A man who pretends to choke in restaurants for money. Dark and satirical.
Best for: dark comedy.
15. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
A wild road trip through the American Dream. Chaotic and sharp.
Best for: drug-fuelled satire.
How to Choose
For more Welsh begin with Filth or Skagboys. For raw addiction stories choose Requiem for a Dream, Junky or Smack. For dark satire pick Fight Club, American Psycho or A Clockwork Orange. Trainspotting is dialect-heavy and explicit, so these picks suit mature readers. Trainspotting was adapted into a famous 1996 film directed by Danny Boyle, and a sequel film, T2, followed in 2017. The book is written in Scots dialect, which can be hard at first.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Trainspotting about?
Friends in Edinburgh caught up in heroin addiction.
Who wrote it?
Irvine Welsh.
When was it published?
1993.
Is the dialect hard?
At first, but it gets easier.
Is it graphic?
Yes, drugs, sex and violence.
Is there a film?
Yes, a 1996 film and a 2017 sequel.
Is there a sequel book?
Yes, Porno, and a prequel, Skagboys.
What should I read next?
Try Filth or A Clockwork Orange.
Which book here is best for dark satire?
Try Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, which suits readers looking for dark satire.
Which book here is best for dark satire?
Try American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, which suits readers looking for dark satire.
Which book here is best for drug-fuelled sci-fi?
Try A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick, which suits readers looking for drug-fuelled sci-fi.
Which book here is best for teen addiction memoir?
Try The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll, which suits readers looking for teen addiction memoir.
Which book here is best for the prequel?
Try Skagboys by Irvine Welsh, which suits readers looking for the prequel.
Which book here is best for teens and heroin?
Try Smack by Melvin Burgess, which suits readers looking for teens and heroin.
Which book here is best for numbed youth?
Try Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis, which suits readers looking for numbed youth.
Which book here is best for experimental satire?
Try Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs, which suits readers looking for experimental satire.