題材：海洛英，禁。
說這些很掃興了，事實是Trainspotting出版後一紙風行，打入Booker Prize最後十強。
Trainspotting，即是同胞所謂的「猜火車」，唔知猜乜Q。在英格蘭和蘇格蘭，一些男人無所事事，在火車站記錄火車入站和離站的時間，不能說他們一事無成，但行為本身沒有意義，為之trainspotting。
1996年的同名電影(迷幻列車)沒有任何角色進行trainspotting的場景，原著小說倒有所指涉。小說末段有一節題為'Trainspotting at Leith Central Station'，文中出現了trainspotting一字。
暴力狂Begbie和主角Renton在火車站遇到一老頭，老頭問：o靚仔，在猜火車呀，o下？(What yis up tae lads? Trainspottin, eh?)
o下o下要爆人樽的Begbie竟顯得沒聲沒氣，不見了平日那個事事要充的自大狂，Renton發現，老頭是他老豆。話口未完，Begbie見到另一個倒霉友，兜野打埋塊面到，條友即時仆街。
這樣一本小說，說的是流氓爛仔的故事，不可能沒有粗口，在'Trainspotting at Leith Central Station' 這節短篇求其抽一段對話看看，幾乎沒有一句沒有粗口，而且幾乎全本小說均是如此。
Bebgie pull us aside n droaps his voice
－Ye ken thit Tommy's fuckin sick?
－Aye. Ah'd heard.
－Go n fuckin see the cunt whin yir up
－Aye. Ah plan tae dae that.
－Too fuckin right. You ay aw fuckin people should. Ah'm no fuckin blamin you Rents, ah sais that tae fuckin Second Prize; ah'm no fuckin blamin Rents fir Tommy. It's every cunt's ain fuckin life. Ah fuckin telt that tae Second Prize.
小說的背景設在八十年代的英國，戴卓爾夫人主政的年代。戴卓爾夫人奉行佛利民的自由市場經濟政策，打倒工會，把國企私有化，開放競爭，為倫敦實行金融大改革，而這個稱為1986年的Big Bang，為英國帶來廿年經濟繁榮，倫敦成為全球第一金融中心兼富豪天堂。代價是社會貧富懸殊加劇，戴卓爾夫人在一片咒罵聲中下台。Trainspotting小說不只一次出現以戴卓爾為揶揄、挖諷對象的性愛場景。Irvine Welsh自己便說'As British society changed under the (Margaret) Thatcher '80s, drugs and drink became less recreational and more a way of life because people had fuck all else to do.'
《經濟學人》上期的英國專題報道，指出英國現時的經濟重心圍繞倫敦的金融業發展，全國收入不均的嚴重程度僅次於美國，好像年青人不到南部投身金融相關行業，便注定要乞米。Shite.
Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players, and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed-interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a three piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life: I chose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who need reasons when you've got heroin?
不用服一劑海洛英，也知道Trainspotting電影於1996年上畫後，Renton這一段'Choose Life' speech成為英國經典台詞的原因。伴隨David Bowie, Joy Division, the Pogues, Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground, The Smiths而且特別是Iggy Pop而來帶著一雙迷幻反白眼的Rave culture， 蔓延至每一角落。十七年的保守黨執政，造就了一個由倫敦證券交易所築起的金錢天梯，泰晤士河畔以高樓連成的skyline比紐約的還要眩目，但另一邊廂，社會的磐石底下卻滋生一層無助、無所事事、拿救濟金揮霍的小流氓地衣。
Irvine Welsh捕捉了英國在八十年代戴卓爾主政期間的年青文化和生態，小說比電影好看十倍。
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