Characters
I don't feel the sickness yet, but it's in the mail, that's for sure. I'm in the junky limbo at the moment. Too ill to sleep, too tired to stay awake, but the sickness is on its way.
— Renton • Trainspotting
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The speaker expects a worsening sickness even while describing an already uncomfortable state. Too ill to sleep and too tired to stay awake, they feel suspended between exhaustion and what is coming next. Comparing the sickness to something in the mail makes its arrival sound inevitable.
Context reviewed