It's a rare author who can hilariously skewer both the pretensions of highbrow art and the self-obsessed world of personal fitness in one book, but Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting) is more than up to the task. Known to many as Scotland's literary enfant terrible, Welsh sets his new novel in Miami, Fla., in the 21st century, where superficiality is religion. After stopping an attempted murder, Lucy, a self-absorbed personal trainer, and Lena, an overweight artist who filmed the event, begin to train together. Unhappy with Lena's lack of motivation, Lucy kidnaps her, forcing her into better habits. But while Lena does shed pounds under Lucy's psychotic fitness regimen, she also begins to take control of the relationship, leading to a disturbing confrontation.
The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins ranks as one of the more vulgar books involving kettlebells and five-mile runs (it has three graphic scenes using dildos), but Welsh's taste for the obscene rarely ruins his story. Instead, the vulgarity only amplifies the farce, pushing situations to the extreme for comedic effect. It may be hard to draw something more than superficial morals from the novel (American consumer culture is bad; men do terrible things to women if given the opportunity; etc.), but Welsh makes up for that with the sheer madcap thrust of the plot and its ever-increasing twists. Regardless of whether or not Welsh's damning satire is entirely effective, he's still crafted a funny, propulsive book. --Noah Cruickshank, marketing manager, Open Books, Chicago, Ill.