The Happy One...well, sort of (The Crow Road - Iain Banks)

Member Name: little_pandora

Product:	The Crow Road - Iain Banks
Date:	03/03/05 (852 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great mix of themes and style; make this a really unusual book, Engaging characters, Can watch the TV show once you've read it!

Disadvantages: Nada, Zilch, Nuffink

If you've ever read 'The Wasp Factory' or 'Complicity', you may be under the misguided impression that Iain Banks's talent lies in the macabre and gory. Not your thing? Well, here I prescribe the perfect remedy; 'The Crow Road'. Despite being rooted in his usual style of social realism and gritty humanist themes, 'The Crow Road' is, as Banks himself states, 'a happier novel'. It's a fantastic Scottish book, so good that it was made into a successful television serial (if you're interested, I wrote a separate review on this, go on, have a read!).

'The Crow Road' begins with our protagonist, Prentice McHoan, returning home from university for the funeral of his quirky grandmother. From there a complex chain of events unfold as Prentice searches for his missing uncle, as well as a sense of self. A tongue-in-cheek summary of this family would include an atheist Commie, a missing-in-action uncle, a half-hearted murderer and a second rate comedian. As you can probably see, the characters are unconvention personified. They are indeed darkly comic characters, skillfully portrayed by banks to create snorts of laughter whilst maintaining enough credibility to carry the more dramatic scenes of the novel.

It would be difficult to define a genre for this book. It's an eclectic mix of romance, mystery, horror and comedy. Far from too many themes being compressed in the one novel, this is in fact a very clever technique that Banks uses to maintain some realism. In the 'real world', after all, life is not merely one long romance. Indeed, all of our lives hopefully contain some comedy, and more unfortunately, some sadness and horror. Banks's skill in balancing such themes is immense, and at no point in this novel does one emotion bog the reader down too much. In the midst of dramatic or dark scenes, there is usually a subtle splash of humour to lighten the tone, yet not so intrusive as to minimise the seriousness of the situation being described.

The characters are also notably unusual. Prentice McHoan, though not quite the anti-hero, is a different kind of protagonist one would normally encounter. Inclined to be a bit self-indulgent, Prentice is at times frustratingly blinkered to others around him. He swears liberally, feels sorry for himself and has a great lack of motivation for anything he doesn't see as being of immediate benefit to himself (as for example, his university studies). He's a character that you realistically shouldn't like, and yet you can't help but feel affection for his hapless character. It is Banks's use of humour that saves Prentice from becomming too depressed/depressing. And besides, Prentice is a far more realistic hero than most; everyone is flawed. The fundamental truth of the matter is that if you didn't like Prentice, you wouldn't like yourself either. Prentice is the common man. He makes mistakes. He is US, and so we identify with him.

The complex and slowly unfolding plot is skillfully written and totally engrossing. I found myself unable to put this book down once I'd started. Readers can become completely embroiled in the many-layered stories and emotions.

'The Crow Road' is a truly fantastic novel (my favourite book, actually). Banks blends social realism (you only have to read a sex scene to gauge this; Banks doesn't shy away from the truth, so we don't get a ridiculous account so unbelievable you could laugh), with comedy and mystery. The genuine affection we begin to feel for Prentice is a sign that banks is a truly great author.

I'd advise anyone who hasn't read this novel to get their skates on and read it soon. So, get down to the library, sharpish! ;-p

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