The Crow Road

I received my review copy of The Crow Road as part of its twenty-fifth anniversary celebrations. Has this book really been around for that long?! Iain Banks is an author I have been aware of for ages, but I think this is the first time I have ever read any of his books. What an omission! And one I am glad to have rectified now. The Crow Road is, now anyway, quite a nostalgic book to read focussing as it does on everyday life. It is proudly Scottish and I liked the intermingling of social classes together with the resultant snobbery. Our 'hero', Prentice, is a likeable waster and expertly portrayed so I could easily see how he has become such a famous character in literary circles. Banks has a shrewd eye for detail and nuance together with a gorgeously poetic turn of phrase so reading the prose in this book was an absolute delight. I loved the descriptions and metaphors. For me, the only things that let down The Crow Road were that I did sometimes become confused about who was who in such a large cast and that my attention did frequently stray from the main storyline. It was strange - individual scenes are brilliant but the overall narrative didn't keep me gripped in the same way.