Status
Available
Call number
Description
Roy Strang, antiguo seguidor ultra de un equipo de fútbol, yace en coma en el hospital, a donde le ha enviado una joven a la que violara en compañía de sus correligionarios. Recibe visitas de los extravagantes y demenciales de su familia y también de la muchacha violada, que espera el momento de rematar su venganza; entre tanto, Roy rememora poco a poco -y con interrupciones oníricas cuando se acerca a temas que no quiere recordar- su vida desde su dura infancia en una barriada de Edimburgo y su breve pero decisivo paso por Suráfrica (donde fuera objeto de los abusos sexuales de su tío), hasta los acontecimientos que le condujeron al hospital, todo ello intercalado con frecuentes descensos a un mundo de ensoñaciones donde recorre África en compañía de su fiel amigo Sandy Jamieson en busca del Marabú -símbolo de la crueldad depredarora- al que quiere dar muerte.
Description
Roy Strang is engaged in a strange quest in a surrealist South Africa. His mission is to eradicate an evil predator-scavenger bird, the marabou stork, before it drives away the peace-loving flamingo from the picturesque Lake Torto. But behind this world lies another- the world of Roy's bizarre family, the Scottish housing scheme in which he grew up, his mundane job, a disastrous emigration to Africa, and his youthful life of brutality with a gang of soccer casuals. As one world crashes into the other, this potentially charming story of ornithological goodwill mutates into a filthy tale of violence, abuse and redemption.
Genres
Collection
Publication
Madrid : Debate , 1997
Physical description
335 p.; 21 cm
User reviews
LibraryThing member SqueakyChu
If you can accept violence and other off-putting contents of a book and want to enjoy a novel that’s compulsively readable, this is it! If you’ve never before heard of Irvine Welsh, he is the Scottish author who is best know for his novel Trainspotting which was subsequently made into a movie.
Your next step should be to read this book which is incredibly imaginative. It’s the story of one Scottish lad and his family who live in the projects of Edinburgh, move to Johannesburg, South Africa, but end up returning to Scotland. As the story opens, Roy Strang lays in a coma in a hospital. We follow his story on three levels: as he becomes aware of his current environment, as he remembers his past, and as he forces himself into a deeper state of consciousness in which he and a pal are hunting a Marabou Stork.
Oddly, what brought me to reading this book in the first place was a challenge to read a book with the name of a bird in its title! When I looked up that marabou stork, I found one truly ugly bird and wanted to learn more about it, albeit in the form of a novel. What I found was a truly captivating story of an Edinburgh family, a brilliant piece of fiction that I could not put down. Granted that some of the contents of this book (sex, violence, animal abuse) may be off-putting to a few readers, however I was really taken up by the voice of the narrator. The compelling nature of this story reinforced my need to read more books by this author.
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Start with that book and make yourself familiar with the Scottish dialect he uses in it before beginning to read Marabou Stork Nightmares. Use an online glossary, if necessary, to help understand the Scottish vocabulary.Your next step should be to read this book which is incredibly imaginative. It’s the story of one Scottish lad and his family who live in the projects of Edinburgh, move to Johannesburg, South Africa, but end up returning to Scotland. As the story opens, Roy Strang lays in a coma in a hospital. We follow his story on three levels: as he becomes aware of his current environment, as he remembers his past, and as he forces himself into a deeper state of consciousness in which he and a pal are hunting a Marabou Stork.
Oddly, what brought me to reading this book in the first place was a challenge to read a book with the name of a bird in its title! When I looked up that marabou stork, I found one truly ugly bird and wanted to learn more about it, albeit in the form of a novel. What I found was a truly captivating story of an Edinburgh family, a brilliant piece of fiction that I could not put down. Granted that some of the contents of this book (sex, violence, animal abuse) may be off-putting to a few readers, however I was really taken up by the voice of the narrator. The compelling nature of this story reinforced my need to read more books by this author.
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LibraryThing member vicarofdibley
not for those who don't understand scottish or who dislike swearing
LibraryThing member sanddancer
A wholly uncomfortable read with grotesque unpleasant characters. It is a book I've kept but am not sure I'll ever want to re-read. All of which sounds negative, but it is a very good book. The writing style takes a bit of getting used to and it isn't for the easily-offended.
LibraryThing member DavidSwindle
My favorite Irvine Welsh novel, very inventive.
LibraryThing member missreeka
I am still thoroughly impressed each time I think of the effort and thought and pure genius imagination that must have gone in to creating this twisted, cerebral, and completely innovative story. Certainly not for the faint of heart, but if you can stomach violence, rape, drugs, and other forms of
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abuse and deranged characters, this book is worth the read. There's nothing quite like it. Show Less
LibraryThing member Polaris-
Read this soon after Trainspotting many years ago found it intensely disappointing. Some reasonable passages, but generally I didn't like it.
LibraryThing member isabelx
By the time I was half way through "Marabou Stork Nightmares" I was loving it. Roy's African fantasy is so interesting, especially the way it keeps slipping out of his control, with the increasing frequency of homoerotic moments that he tries to suppress. I spotted the Famous Five influence
Once I'd finished it, I was even more impressed. Roy's fantasies are an escape from his real life, and as the book progresses you learn more about his life and realise why he is so loathe to wake up from his coma. But he gradually loses control of his fantasy as his inner demons break through, just as he had lost control of his life.
Bookcrossing definitely got me to read a wider range of books than I used to before I joined. I didn't expect to like Marabou Stork Nightmares at all.
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immediately, in the outdated slang he & Sandy use and the obsession with picnics and typically English food.Once I'd finished it, I was even more impressed. Roy's fantasies are an escape from his real life, and as the book progresses you learn more about his life and realise why he is so loathe to wake up from his coma. But he gradually loses control of his fantasy as his inner demons break through, just as he had lost control of his life.
Bookcrossing definitely got me to read a wider range of books than I used to before I joined. I didn't expect to like Marabou Stork Nightmares at all.
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LibraryThing member hhornblower
I'm becoming quite the fan of Mr. Welsh. His prose just continues to slam into, daring you to put the book down.
LibraryThing member jayne_charles
Possibly one of my favourite ever book titles, and truly nightmarish too. Narrated by a man in a coma, it starts out as a trip through South Africa on the trail of the eponymous stork, but it quickly becomes clear that this is nothing more than an imaginary smokescreen to obscure the real story of
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squalid violence that led to him being in a coma in the first place. In this regard you get the picture quite quickly, but it's not until the end that the full picture emerges, and as one might expect from this author, it's brutal and shocking. Not one I'll be able to get out of my head in a hurry. Show Less
LibraryThing member grahzny
This book left me freaked out for weeks. It's told from the perspective of someone in a coma, drifting in and out of three levels of awareness: nearly aware of his real surroundings; remembering the events of his life that led him to be in this coma; and in a surreal fantasy African safari. Very
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well written, easy to follow despite the narrative tricks, and with a narrator that will draw you in somewhat against your will. Show Less
Subjects
Call number
118
Language
Original publication date
1995
ISBN
9788483060544
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