Young Adam 

Service95 Recommends is the home of the books we love and reviews from our contributors. Young Adam by Alexander Trocchi is Trocchi's debut novel set in Clyde River between Glasgow and Edinburgh. It follows Joe, a hired barge skipper, and the events that follow after he finds a woman's body in the river. 

What Douglas Stuart Says: “This is quite a dark book. A drifter is hired to work on a barge and ends up seducing his boss’s wife. When he finds the body of a young woman floating in the canal, he knows more about her fate than he admits. This is a claustrophobic study of how men and women can use each other – a frank look at casual sex regardless of finer feelings. It was also a great film with Tilda Swinton and Ewan McGregor.” 

What They Say: "Alex Trocchi has the courage so essential to a writer. He writes about spirit, flesh, and death and the vision that comes through the flesh... he has been there and brought it back" - William S Burroughs

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Read More: Douglas Stuart's Recommended Reading List