Prick: Confessions of a Tattoo Artist

by Ashley Little

Anthony “Ant” Young is a 21-year-old artist earning his tattooing apprenticeship under Hank the Tank, a founding member of the powerful Lucifer’s Choice motorcycle gang. Though Ant was fleeing violence when he left his home, his new circumstances and mentor expose him to a vicious and frightening criminal underworld in Victoria, British Columbia. A cynical antihero, Ant’s audacity is only matched by his vulnerability. With bursts of intensity, this unforgettable and darkly funny novel takes on addiction, desire, and remorse. As Ant’s life stumbles out of control, he struggles to hold on to the one thing he really cares about.

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

Reviews

[Rod Raglin · Rating 4 out of 5]

High energy, fast paced, authentic portrayal of the seedy side of life  
Anthony’s a punk, a miscreant who’s already done time in juvie for selling drugs even before he’s finished high school. Raised by his grandparents in Calgary, Anthony heads for the west coast as soon as he graduates and ends up in Victoria.
 
Interested in tattoos and good at drawing he decides being a tattoo artist is his calling. He becomes an apprentice at Capital Tattoo, owned by Hank the Tank, a full patch member of the biker gang Lucifer’s Choice.
 
Anthony becomes “Ant” and within in year he’s working on people.
 
When his grandmother dies and leaves him a small inheritance he opens his own shop, Red Ant Tattoo. Ant’s on a roll doing work he loves, regularly getting high and having sex with Kate, the girl at the bagel shop.
 
Then Hannah walks into his shop.
 
She’s blond, hot and underage, something Ant doesn’t find out until too late. When Hannah gets pregnant, Anthony tries to blow her off. Hannah screams rape, the statutory kind, and during the ensuing investigation it also comes to light that he tattooed a minor without parental consent.
 
His shop is closed down for three months, he has to pay a significant fine as well as come up with some cash for his defense on the rape charge.
 
When Ant laments his misfortune to his mentor, Hank has a solution. There’s good money in selling drugs and Hank will front him the product.
 
Anthony thinks he’s found the solution to his problems, but what he’s done is made a deal with the devil.
 
Prick: Confessions of a Tattoo Artist is a high energy, fast paced read. The specifics about the art and procedures of tattooing sound authentic, as does the lifestyle associated with drug dealing.
 
Author Ashley Little is a pro when it comes to story structure, characterization and dialogue. The story is seamless and this reader was totally immersed in Anthony’s rise and fall.
 
Little’s novels (Anatomy of a Girl Gang) remind this reader of the work of Annie Proulx; the protagonist starts disadvantaged and things get worse, a lot worse, the lucky ones die.
 
One wonders where Little’s fascination with the marginalized and the criminal element who take advantage of them will lead her next? There’s a sick and seedy part of society out there to explore and she seems determined to do it.
 
30
 
 
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[Tamar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice story about a big jerk who is probably a lot like your (ok a lot like my) exboyfriends. A lot like ex-significant others, the main guy is totally unsympathetic with absolutely nothing to redeem him. Everything about Prick would've been way better if the narrator was a lesbian, mostly because the sex scenes would've been sexier. But it's a great Canadian read that is, I'm sure, pretty under read.

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend of mine who is related to the author, so I was excited to get my hands on it.

It was awesome to read a novel not only set in Canada, but in places that are very familiar to me. The book was incredibly realistic, about the journey of a young man becoming a tattoo artists, and the crowd he fell in with and choices he made getting there. The subject matter was tough, but the author wrote about it well, and the storyline was very believable.

[Thorneyb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast read and not something I would normally pick up. I found it on display at the library, flipped it open and saw some cursing which apparently appealed to me in the moment. Although the main character makes one bad decision after another, the author has painted him with enough human emotion to connect on some level. The ending was not what I expected nor hoped for but I did enjoy this one overall.

[Tally Vivarais · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOD I LOVE THIS BOOK. This guy is an absolute prick and you don't find out how remorseless and terrible he is until you find that he is completely irredeemable. The story being told from his perspective keeps you blind to it until you've finished it and then you want to scream. Absolutely amazing.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is engrossing, intense and raw. I begrudgingly came to care about Anthony "Ant" Young despite him being such a... well, prick. This is my first time reading an Ashley Little book and I'm hooked. Highly recommend this book and author!

[chelsey]

eh. so sad

[Leona B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written and fast-paced story about a prick of a newbie tattoo artist in Victoria, BC. The main character is a really realistic asshole, the kind of dude who lacks self-awareness or self-preservation skills, and it wasn't enjoyable reading him. However, he was captured perfectly, and if you're looking for something gritty with a Canadian antihero, this is your book.

[Foo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another one of those stories that sticks with you. Ant may not be someone I would ever hang around but I loved reading his story.

[Anna Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down!

[Liisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

yay! awesome book ... I did not think Ms Little's brain could work this way! Not the Ashley I know!! I guess that's what makes a great author!!!

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, fast paced and hard to put down. Not the type of book I would usually read, but still a good experience.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING! Definitely a Canadian author to watch! I read this book in one evening and could not put it down. I did like Ashley's Anatomy of a Girl Gang more, though.