The Crow Road
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| Author | Iain Banks |
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| Country | Scotland |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
| Released | 1992 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 501 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-349-10323-2 |
| Preceded by | The State of the Art |
| Followed by | Against a Dark Background |
The Crow Road is a novel by the Scottish writer Iain Banks, published in 1992.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
Prentice McHoan's life, growing up in a complex but coherent Scottish family with many mysteries is described, seen through his preoccupations with death, sex, relationships, drink (and other intoxicants) and God, with the background a celebration of the Scottish landscape.
[edit] Plot summary
The book begins: 'It was the day my grandmother exploded. I sat in the crematorium, listening to my Uncle Hamish quietly snoring in harmony to Bach's Mass in B Minor, and I reflected that it always seemed to be death that drew me back to Gallanach.'
This family saga is set in a Scottish village called Gallanach, and in Glasgow where Prentice McHoan lives. Prentice's uncle Rory disappears mysteriously, in the middle of writing a book called The Crow Road. He becomes obsessed with the papers left behind by his vanished and beloved uncle and sets out to solve the mystery.
A large part of Prentice's growing up is his gradual understanding of his wealthy and eccentric family, especially his parents' tragic and complicated generation. This becomes particularly important to him after his father Kenneth's death; a devout atheist, he is struck by lightning while climbing a church tower, trying to settle an argument about the existence of God. The family has already suffered tragedy when Kenneth's sister Fiona (married to Fergus Urvill) was killed in a car crash.
Prentice's old friend Ashley Watt and others help him in his quest to find the key to Rory's disappearance.
[edit] Literary significance & criticism
Reckoned by many as Banks' most likeable book, it combines menace (it contains a chilling and convincing account of a 'perfect murder') and dark humour (as the opening sentence correctly implies) with an interesting treatment of love. His use of multiple voices and points of view, jumping freely in both time and character, is often considered to be at its peak here. Even quite minor characters like Prentice's grandmother are carefully described, giving Prentice's life depth and context.
The book is about Prentice's journey of discovery about himself, those he loves, and the ways of the world. (This type of novel is sometimes called a 'Bildungsroman'.)
The Crow Road, as explained in the book, as well as being a real-life location in the west of Glasgow, is an expression for death, as in "He's away the Crow Road". The appropriateness of this title becomes apparent as the novel progresses.
[edit] Adaptation
The Crow Road was adapted for television by the BBC in 1996. See The Crow Road (TV series).
[edit] Bibliography
The Crow Road, Iain Banks, Abacus, 1992, ISBN 0-349-10323-2
[edit] External links
| Iain Banks books |
|---|
| The Wasp Factory • Walking on Glass • The Bridge • Espedair Street • Canal Dreams • The Crow Road • Complicity • Whit • A Song of Stone • The Business • Dead Air • Raw Spirit • The Steep Approach to Garbadale |
