Product Description

A dazzling performance (think Forrest Gump, think Curious Incident) from one of Scotland's brightest new talents.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #443372 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Big Issue in Scotland
'Every page treads a fine line between belly laugh and tear-jerker. Bissett's colloquial mastery sucker-punches you with effortless style'

Scotland on Sunday
‘Sparky is a virtuoso literary creation. [Bissett] is taking his animated and emotionally raw prose to another level'

Scotsman
‘There's nothing quite like Alan Bissett's fizzy, upbeat fiction... He totally inhabits the mind of his main characters’

Customer Reviews

Sparkling
The Incredible Adam Spark tells the story of a young lad with learning difficulties growing up in Falkirk, told in the first person by the eponymous hero, Adam Spark, who comes to believe he has superpowers. The novel is fresh and enjoyable, and the phonetic vernacular is quite easy to follow once you're through the first couple of pages.

Super charged fun
Written in a style that at first is bemusing but then allows you to read it at a blistering speed, this is a novel about someone (who is not the quickest 'superhero' on the planet)coming to terms with the realities of life and the contradictions we experience everyday. It shows that there is much more to being a superhero than wearing your pants on the outside!

You know what they say about judging a book by it's cover.
Incredible indeed.

This is the story of Adam Spark, an 18 year old fast food worker who suffers from learning difficulties. After being hit on the head while saving a "ween" at a American football game Adam finds that he has acquired superpowers that allow him do things like speed up time and slooooooooooooooow it down. But these powers make up little of this book and it's the story of Adam's relations with his sister Jude and girlfriend Bonnie that really carry it through.

This book is told in a broad Scottish accent but if you are familiar with the likes of Irvine Welsh then you'll find this no problem (I actually quite like reading literature in a scotch accent, dunno why). It's one of those books where you can just fly through the pages. Each sentence flows into the next with skilful ease and once you're past the opening few pages there is no chance of you getting bored.

Adam himself is a character that is easy to sympathise with despite that fact he is violent, has misguided attitudes and in places is down right weird but these are all things that he cannot help and Alan Bissett deftly keeps you aware of this. Adam's sister Jude kind of doubles up as his carer and you feel for her as she longs for a life of her own with her girlfriend and not have the burden of looking after Adam holding her back but she is scared of how Adam will react.

I won't ruin the story by giving you anymore detail but I'll let you know that Adam does redeem his failings and his superpowers (or supposed superpowers) do come in use.

This is book that is humorous and heart breaking in equal measures. A book that a basis in the true reality of working class life and one you sound definitely read. The only criticism I can really have of this book is the cover, which kind of makes it look like a kid's book which it really isn't. But, you the old saying......Never judge a book by its cover.