Sick Boy

"Sick Boy has always been lacking in moral fibre." — Renton

Writing sequels is hard. Writing prequels is even harder, because everything has to line up... Writing a prequel AND a sequel at once?

Irvine Welsh's first sequel to his hit "Trainspotting" (more familiar to most as a perfect movie, but it was a book first) was "Porno". He then wrote a prequel, then two more sequels, and then decided that there is enough space to squeeze another one in there, cramming in "Men in Love". It takes place right after the events of "Trainspotting", but before "Porno".

In "Porno", we learn that Simon David Williamson, better known as Sick Boy, the narcissistic-yet-incredibly-charismatic sociopath (played on the screen by Jonny Lee Miller), has a Jewish ex-wife. Now, with Sick Boy as one of the titular "Men in Love", Welsh was about to tell us about the poor woman who fell for this pornographer, pimp and pusher. Her name is Amanda Coningsby, and it's revealed rather late in the novel that she is, posh goyishe surname be damned, Jewish. And then, Sick Boy, in his most sycophantic ways, claims that his mother is an Italian Jew. Like most of the things that come out of Sick Boy's manipulative mouth, it's an obvious lie... but not to poor Amanda.

Of course, since we know what happens in "Porno", it's obvious that the marriage is doomed from the start. Such is the challenge of writing a prequel... to a sequel.

Verdict: **Sadly, Not a Jew**.

_September 15, 2025_