November | 2020 | Guy Portman's Blog

5 Transgressive Fiction Reading Recommendations

Nov 27 2020

It is back to books this week. Of late I have been immersed in Transgressive Fiction. Here are five transgressive books that I have read recently. Click on the links to read my reviews.

The Devil All The Time

This gothicesque novel is replete with reprehensible rednecks, depraved content and frequent shifts in points of view.

My Review: Willard’s wife has cancer, so he turns to God for help. As her condition worsens, his invocations become increasingly extreme. There are …(more)

Black Hole Town

This aptly named novelette boasts memorable characters, visceral prose and an abundance of effectively employed adjectives.

My Review: Friends Fortz and Goose are degenerate drinkers and drug users. Goose is fed up with his psychotic, pill-popping girlfriend Miley, so he hatches a …(more)

A Decent Ride

This is one of Welsh’s lighter books. Its seediness, humour and bawdy Leith vernacular dialogue will appeal to many.

My Review: Terry ‘Juice’ Lawson is an Edinburgh taxi driver who moonlights as a porn actor and drug fixer. Since losing his virginity at the age of eleven, he has …(more)

Blood Meridian

Set in the 1800’s, Blood Meridian is an episodic book, which is almost unparalleled in its misanthropy and repugnant content.

My Review: ‘The Kid’ is a fourteen-year-old hailing from a Tennessean backwater. Following an ill-fated stint as a conscript in a Mexico-bound militia, he is …(more)

The Rules of Attraction

Published in 1987, this transgressive work adroitly captures the era’s zeitgeist with regards to drugs, music, and above all relationships.

My Review: The book is written in the first person from the perspective primarily of three students – Lauren, Sean and Paul. All are pupils of Camden College, an …(more)

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Food, Feasting, Fire & Free Fiction.

Nov 20 2020

We are in the midst of Lockdown #2 here in the UK and fun is in short supply. It’s wet, miserable and gets dark really early. Fortunately, there is still pleasure to be found. It had been a long time since I had scampi and chips.

Here is a Tesco-originating, Italian-themed antipasto I assembled earlier.

News of the birdfeeder has spread like wildfire. There are often multiple tits on the feeder at any given time with more waiting in the wings.

I’ll probably only fill it once a week. Otherwise it is going to become a financial burden.

After weeks of mild weather, there has been a cold spell. It was 1°C this morning.

The first fire of the season.

Presently, there is a KDP free day promotion running for my satirical offering – Tomorrow’s World: Darkly Humorous Tales From The Future. It is the only one of my books exclusive to Amazon. The five day campaign ends tomorrow (Saturday).

1,302 Amazon users downloaded Tomorrow’s World yesterday and it reached #37 Free in Kindle Store in Canada this lunchtime. Whether any of this means anything, only time will tell. Regardless, I am pleased that the book appeals enough for people to download despite the fact that it hasn’t got many reviews. Now I need them to read it.

Links: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU

Have a good weekend.

Writing, Lockdown, Stuff Breaking & A Surprise Visitor.

Nov 13 2020

We’re just over a week into Lockdown here in the UK. Everything is uncertain at the moment.

‘When did the future shift from being a promise to a threat’ – Chuck Palahniuk

As for me, I have penned an initial draft of a dark fiction book similar in format to my latest release, The Gazebo. We’ll see what the beta readers have to say about it, but regardless it (name pending) won’t be released for quite some time yet.

The bicycle is out of action until new parts arrive.

So the dog is making do solely with walks.

When it is not dark and/or raining, this can be a pleasant time of year.

You know how when one thing breaks, everything seems to. The TV remote for the bathroom has packed in. I was familiar with limescale in kettles, but did not know until now that water-based TV remotes suffer from the same affliction. A new one is on the way.

The first mince pies of the season. They won’t be the last.

Anyone else a fan of Moretti?

The surprise visitor frequented my new birdfeeder earlier this week.

It is a great spotted woodpecker.

Fauna, Fireworks, Fiction & Flu.

Nov 06 2020

I finally got around to getting a bird-feeder. Its first visitor was this blue tit.

Everyone likes a free lunch. News has spread quickly and the feeder is now being frequented by coal tits and great tits, in addition to an abundance of blue tits. Photos to follow. I will relish the additional company during Lockdown. The flu’s back and our once great nation is in Lockdown for four weeks.

After a period of ghastly weather, Lockdown has coincided with some sunshine.