Irvine Welsh His first novel, "Trainspotting", was published in 1993. Set in the mid-1980s, it uses a series of loosely connected short stories to tell the story of a group of characters tied together by decaying friendships, heroin addiction and stabs at escape from the oppressive boredom and brutality of their lives in the housing schemes. It was released to shock and outrage in some circles and great acclaim in others; "Time Out" called it "funny, unflinchingly abrasive, authentic and inventive", and "The Sunday Times" called Welsh "the best thing that has happened to British writing for decades". It was adapted as
4 a.m. (novel) Hamburg, using recreational drugs and attending raves. Very soon their drug usage begins to clash with their military duties and lives, leading to the pair undergoing pressure on their military jobs, friendship, and personal lives. The novel was reviewed in the Scottish and UK national press, with the "Glasgow Herald" remarking "it's about time we had a female Irvine Welsh". "The Guardian"'s Catherine Taylor took a more equivocal line, praising the novel's "electric" narrative, but disliking the pop-cultural references. Mike Cobley of "The Brighton Magazine" was more impressed, writing "It had me gripped from the off, and by its close