Book Review: Resolution by Irvine Welsh – the past always comes back to haunt us. This is the third instalment in Irvine Welsh’s series following the troubled ex-cop, Ray Lennox. I had not read the previous novels, but there was no need; this reads like a stand-alone story.
Resolution was dark yet not without humour, tough at times but interesting in how it is told.
We learn early on what the main plot is as the main character Ray Lennox was sexually abused as a child by older boys. Lennox’ dilemma is that he meets the so-called perpetrator but he knows if he goes public with it, everyone would know. So how does he handle it.
Irvine Welsh brings the story to life with a gritty down to earth Ray Lennox. The language is fruity with Ray and his business colleague convincing in their older zest for life. The dialogue is sharp but Welsh can balance the dark subject with a stoic outlook. However the prose is frequently blurred together making it somewhat annoying as to who is doing the talking.
Welsh creates a vague plot from what is effectively about recall from childhood. The perpetrator Cardingworth’s actual role in the abuse is held back until the very end. As with the whole story the plot could have been drip fed.
Brighton is the location with reference to pubs and streets but beyond that is little more than that. And also with Edinburgh.
Lennox’ life is a happy one with a partner, and a solid job. Welsh portrays this well through the narrative. The drama of Mathew Cardingworth entering into his life from nowhere in the present day is introduced through the awkward possibility of sex with another couple – Cardingworth in that couple. This is a motif of Welsh – the edgier side of life.
The male resolution of sexual abuse is handled through memory passages on a cassette tape which were at times indecipherable. As a literary device this did not work for me. There are hints of alcoholism and drug misuse as coping mechanisms.
Lennox himself is compelled to use his police skills to go back and investigate it – seek resolution. The price is how it takes over one’s life and Welsh excels in how Lennox’s life slowly unravels Whilst his relationship with his partner becomes precarious, his business partner takes it on his chin.
Whilst the ending is a relief it is overly brutal in the action losing the subtetley of the plot.
The novel excels in how Ray Lennox grapples with the trauma over his past intruding into his present, and how his attempts to come to terms with it lead to those around him question him whilst he tries to stay sane.
