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 goes to see Johnny Swan, his old drug dealer. Johnny’s leg was amputated after he contracted gangrene from shooting up into his arteries. Despite these circumstances, Johnny is in good humor and still dreams of escaping Scotland and moving to Thailand. His one complaint is that he can’t get a girl into bed anymore.
Mark goes to see Tommy, who is dying of AIDS. Mark does not think that Tommy will survive the winter in West Granton, where he lives now. This is an uncomfortable visit in part because Mark is the one who got Tommy hooked on heroin by giving him his first shot. Tommy got AIDS by sharing needles.
Tommy asks Mark if he’s HIV-free. When Marks says yes, Tommy reacts: “You used mair thin me. And ye shared works. Sick Boy’s, Keezbo’s, Raymie’s, Spud’s, Swanney’s…ye used Matty’s fir fuck sake” (316). Mark retorts that he didn’t share needles, but the fact of injustice remains; it’s largely a question of luck that Mark didn’t get infected while Tommy did.
Tommy is still hooked on the drug and asks Mark if he has any heroin. Mark tells him he’s clean and doesn’t have anything for him, but gives him money.