Irvine Welsh - best known as the guy who wrote Trainspotting - delivers what I believe is his best story to date. Better than Filth, which included monologue by a tapeworm in the protagonist’s gut. And The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs is a re-imagining.
And if you'd believe it, it's a re-imagining of Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray.
The book follows Danny Skinner, a ruthless character with his lips wrapped around a bottle and a finger in every girl he meets (excuse the language). Danny believes a famous chef impregnated his mother, and Danny is focused on proving it. That's his mcguffin, and it drives the plot forward even while Danny succumbs to his alcoholism.
The secondary character is shy and "pure" Brian Kibby, of course the polar opposite to the Danny. Every aspect of Brian is everything Danny lacks - though he can't admit this, even to himself. From the moment Danny meets Brian at work, he dislikes him immediately. And when quiet Brian shows a booze-debilitated Danny up at a meeting, the dislike turns into incandescent hatred. Danny curses Brian, and that's where the re-imagining begins.
From that point, Danny finds himself mysteriously without hangovers after drinking and coke binges while Brian is growing more and more ill. It dawns on Danny that Brian's illness coincides with his own impossible wellness, despite his lifestyle. (like the portrait in Dorian's attic?)
So Danny participates in more and more debauchery, indulging in hedonism and inflicting his consequences on Brian to the point of near death.
I won't spoil the ending, but I will cut the book into my three points: Characters, Plot and Atmosphere.
Characters:
Spot on brilliant human characters, but we are talking about Welsh here. Danny is a bastard of the highest Welshian order, so you'd expect him to be ruthless and without heart, until Welsh reveals his human side. And sure enough, it happens. Welsh is an author that can show you the humanity inside the despicable. And in this instance, the despicable inside the "pure"
Plot:
Well… it’s a re-imagining of (debatably) once of the most brilliant books of all time. Don’t let my review fool you into thinking you know what will happen, Welsh has overlaid an engaging, deep story over the old psalm.
The story is fast and involving, and you need to find out what happens next. It's a work of deep emotion, overlaid with black comedic acid.
Atmosphere:
Bars and booze and Edinburgh. Rough and raw and as vivid as any other Welsh work. You can hear the accent in the dialogue, and you can smell the smoke.
I can’t say anything more apart from clever, clever Welsh, and find this book to add to your collection.
