Can Nothing Save Us?
3499
Can Nothing Save Us?
3499
Irvine Welsh's searing new novel takes us to Las Vegas, as a divided family is forced to confront the past and reckon with a dangerous future Molly and George Warburton are used to living life their own way. She was an actress; he was her lawyer. Now, in the ferocious heat of Sin City, the couple are facing up to their failures and final years. They announce that their grandson Luke - college dropout, aspiring writer, electronic dance music aficionado - will inherit their millions. It is sudden news that leaves their daughter Gina hell-bent on revenge. Yet Luke's good fortune, and his freedom, will not last. When a strange newcomer to the neighbourhood insinuates himself into the Warburtons' world, it is the beginning of a chain of chilling events that could split the family permanently and put all their lives at risk. The question is, do they have what it takes to survive?
A new book by Irvine Welsh is always an event . . . No living author is as entertaining to read * GQ *
In his portrayal of family and city, Welsh clearly intends them to encapsulate a dying America – the other sense of the title’s ‘Us’ . . . [A] state-of-the-union satire * The Times, Best Thrillers to Read Now *
So propulsive . . . about as much fun as you can have between two book covers * The Times (on Dead Men’s Trousers) *
Can Nothing Save Us? is a big American novel and applies the same sharp-eyed realism that Trainspotting brought to working-class Edinburgh to Trump’s US. Set in the scorching heat of Las Vegas, it’s a multigenerational thriller * Guardian *
Powerful . . . A bracing and engaging read * Daily Telegraph (on Crime) *
Welsh’s greatest skill has always been cast-building, and so it is here… Each takes turns at carrying the narrative weight of the novel, and each is allowed a rich inner life and complicated outer relations * Financial Times *
Details
ISBN13: 9781787336544
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 496
Edition:
Publication Date: 11 Aug 2026
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 23.4(H)x15.4(L)x3.8(W)596
Weight (gm): 596
Author Biography
Irvine Welsh was born and raised in Edinburgh. His first novel, Trainspotting, has sold over one million copies in the UK and was adapted into an era-defining film. He has written fifteen further novels, including the Sunday Times bestseller Men in Love and the Crime series, four books of shorter fiction and numerous plays and screenplays. Irvine Welsh currently lives between London, Edinburgh and Miami.Reviews
An epic American family saga . . . This is a bold and ambitious work, in which Welsh deftly shifts point of view with confidence and conviction . . . expansive, compelling and heartfelt . . . a literary triumph * Guardian *A new book by Irvine Welsh is always an event . . . No living author is as entertaining to read * GQ *
In his portrayal of family and city, Welsh clearly intends them to encapsulate a dying America – the other sense of the title’s ‘Us’ . . . [A] state-of-the-union satire * The Times, Best Thrillers to Read Now *
So propulsive . . . about as much fun as you can have between two book covers * The Times (on Dead Men’s Trousers) *
Can Nothing Save Us? is a big American novel and applies the same sharp-eyed realism that Trainspotting brought to working-class Edinburgh to Trump’s US. Set in the scorching heat of Las Vegas, it’s a multigenerational thriller * Guardian *
Powerful . . . A bracing and engaging read * Daily Telegraph (on Crime) *
Welsh’s greatest skill has always been cast-building, and so it is here… Each takes turns at carrying the narrative weight of the novel, and each is allowed a rich inner life and complicated outer relations * Financial Times *