Young Adam: A Novel

By Alexander Trocchi and David L. Ulin

Alexander Trocchi was one of the seminal figures of the literary underground in the 1950s and ’60s. Born in Scotland, Trocchi made his way in Paris and New York, and Young Adam is his magnum opus. Young Adam tells the story of Joe, a drifter who works on a barge traveling the Clyde River between Glasgow and Edinburgh. As the novel opens, Joe finds the corpse of a young woman floating in the water. Was it an accident, a suicide, or murder? As the police investigate and arrest a suspect, it becomes clear that Joe knows far more than he’s telling. Originally published in 1954, Young Adam was made into a film starring Ewan McGregor and Tilda Swinton. Newly reissued with an introduction by renowned literary critic David L. Ulin, this is an absorbing portrait of a haunted man, a forgotten gem by an important, iconoclastic writer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Grove Press
• Release date: Mar 14, 2017
• ISBN: 9780802189424

Reviews for Young Adam

[kyuuketsukirui · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was amazing. I loved the film, but I love the book even better.

[dylanwolf · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Set on a barge toing and froing between Edinburgh and Glasgow this book opens with the discovery of the bloated corpse of a young woman. Joe is a young drifter who provides the destabilising third person in a rocky marriage. Dour low life shennanigans and erotic episodes give this tale a gritty, sleazy side to its existentialism. Joe reveals his role in the murder and becomes obsessed with the legal actions taken against an accused man. No especial reason to recommend this.

[msarki_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the film made of this book that starred Tilda Swinton and Ewan McGregor. And because of the great film I read the book which was just as good. I had forgotten all about this particular little novel. I remember it being pretty damn sexy throughout the first half and then, as life generally goes, turning into despair.

[damemuriel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ignore the "beat generation novel" label (because who cares anyway...I know I don't). This is a grim but very well-written book. I'd love to see Stuart David go in this direction. Well, maybe not. But it would be interesting.