61 pages • 2 hours read
Irvine WelshA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Part 1, Chapters 1-3
Part 1, Chapters 4-6
Part 1, Chapters 7-10
Part 2, Chapters 11-13
Part 2, Chapters 14-17
Part 3, Chapters 18-19
Part 3, Chapters 20-21
Part 4, Chapters 22-24
Part 4, Chapters 25-28
Part 5, Chapters 29-31
Part 5, Chapters 32-33
Part 6, Chapters 34-36
Part 6, Chapters 37-39
Part 6, Chapters 40-42
Part 7, Chapter 43
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Mark, also called “Rents” and “Rent Boy,” is the main protagonist and narrates much of the book. He is an intelligent young man, having dropped out of university after getting addicted to heroin—but maintains his interest in “intellectual” topics like theater and philosophy. He’s cognizant that he is a “coffin dodger” and will likely end up dead if his heroin habit continues. He can switch between slang and “proper” British English, as is seen when he goes to a job interview, which he sabotages so that he doesn’t have to work and can keep collecting welfare.
Mark is an unreliable narrator. While he expresses some of the most compelling insights into addiction and its grip, these often arrive while he’s high. In the end, he proves himself to be among the most untrustworthy characters when he steals his friends’ money in order to create a new life for himself. It’s unclear whether he will remain clean or not once he gets to Amsterdam, but Mark seems to be “burning the bridge” with his friends so that he can create a new, clean life.