Reheated Cabbage

by Irvine Welsh, Random House, $38.99

copyright Random House

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Book Reviews

Reheated Cabbage Press Pass Her Life's Work: Conversations with New Zealand Women The Hotel Albatross Painting the Frontier – The Art of New Zealand's Pioneers Helen Clark: A Political Life The Complaints Khomeini's Ghost Meltdown Too Much Happiness

In the introduction to Reheated Cabbage, Irvine Welsh apologises for the rise of what he calls "Scotsploitation", the fad for novels about the seedy underbelly of Scotland, written in Scots dialect

I'm not sure that this apology is necessary, as presented here is a sampling of the writing that shaped Welsh's early career and paved the way for his success.

Beware: this is not a collection for the easily offended. But then, Welsh has never really been a mainstream author, despite the success of Trainspotting.

Reheated Cabbage presents stories of homophobia (Catholic Guilt (You know you love it)); domestic abuse (A Fault on the Line); and, strangely, aliens (The Rosewell Incident); and these early short stories are brutal, violent and foul-mouthed.

Fans of Welsh's Trainspotting character Begbie will enjoy (if that's the right word) Elspeth's Boyfriend, in which Begbie meets his sister's new boyfriend over Christmas dinner. This is a story that makes even the most stressful Kiwi Christmas look calm.

Welsh is a much better writer than these short stories show.

I am Miami, the new novella that rounds off the collection, is a more confident and mature piece of writing than the earlier works. For true fans of Welsh only.

• Nich Campbell is a Nelson secondary school teacher.