The Last Book You Read

by Ewan Morrison

Morrison's no-holds-barred collection of short stories tells of people caught between places and lovers as well as between desire, addiction and regret. Whether male or female; gay or straight; young or old; married, single or divorced – the urban battlefield of modern relationships is here charted with such a streetwise precision and heart-wrenching tenderness that this collection is destined to be an instant classic.

'...the most compelling Scottish literary debut since Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting.' – The Sunday Times (London)

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

266 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually a fan of short stories, and I have a sneaky suspicion that I hadn't realised this was short stories when I bought it (the hazards of frenzied book-buying for my kindle late at night).

But anyway, I've read them all. And pretty much enjoyed them. They are all about relationships, about people, mostly dysfunctional people, or perhaps ordinary people in dysfunctional relationships. Ewan Morrison describes the minutiae of relationships, the intimately, personal and often explicitly sexual details of people and their relationships. It's not for everyone, but personally I loved it.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent set of stories from Ewan Morrison. I sought out other stuff from Morrison after loving Nina X. This book definitely has a different tone, but I still really enjoyed it. Some of the stories are really quite explicit, going into detail on sexual encounters and extra marital affairs, something of a theme which runs through the various stories, including one of a guy trying to sell all his possessions in his yard following the break up of his marriage, another with a man trying to come to terms with what he has done and trying to re-establish his relationship with his kids. Some go a bit too far in the explicit details, almost like the author is revelling in it a bit too much, but these are worthy stories, some of which reminded me of Raymond Carver.

[Yani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed on my LibraryThing account:

This is a great collection of stories, all about the disconnection in relationships... people not quite connecting, or falling out of love or whatever. But really well written.

[Dickson Telfer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars rather than three.
Some of the stories are excellent but others are dull and monotonous. It's always the case with short story collections that the reader will prefer some over others, but I found it irritating when I'd enthusiastically plunge myself into another story having just read a belter, only to be disappointed. Maybe it's because it's a debut? Anyway, there is some quality stuff within these pages.

[Mike Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

not great - didn't finish it

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

a collection of short stories that deal with emotions and personal connections in a very real and sometimes crude way that is so true to life.

[Ray Melville · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of short stories, expanding on his style of psychologically damaged people in new relationships. Very deep, sometimes.