Call number
Genres
Publication
London: Abacus, 1998, c1993
Pages
501
Description
From its bravura opening onwards, THE CROW ROAD is justly regarded as an outstanding contemporary novel. '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.' Prentice McHoan has returned to the bosom of his complex but enduring Scottish family. Full of questions about the McHoan past, present and future, he is also deeply preoccupied: mainly with death, sex, drink, God and illegal substances...
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1992
Physical description
501 p.; 7.9 inches
ISBN
0349103232 / 9780349103235
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User reviews
LibraryThing member macha
i really loved this book, but saying exactly why might be a little bit tricky. because it's in a way a family novel, which presents as fairly ordinary, not my type of reading matter at all, and not looking too ambitious in what it does with it either, just comfortable, you know? except for the fact
there are no tricks to the writing, unless we count Banks' usual habit of not writing chronologically, so that you have to mostly guess the date of every bit, and extrapolate who's got the talking stick. and until you notice that in a way, he isn't so much writing a family saga as a murder mystery, across two generations. i went so far as to create some genealogical charts, i got so absorbed in the hidden shape of the narrative; next time (and there will be one) i read it, i will probably be able to fill in more, sketch out three or four generations of McHoans and Watts and Urvills, fit them into their proper places. it's not that you'll need to. it's just that the book made me want to; and it was a vantage point, a bit outside the story, that gave me an excuse to stop for a bit, so i could enjoy a bit longer whatever page i was reading.
you know how sometimes a book is so full of little stories and characters that come to life and won't let go? so you don't want that little bit to end, much less the whole thing? it was like that, really. Lewis grabs off his younger brother's obsession object, Verity Walker, which is a good thing because the oblivious Prentice is obviously meant for Ashley Watt, who is smarter than he is, even smart enough to wait till he figures it out. Prentice is also at war with his father Kenneth McHoan, a gifted storyteller who has in some sense raised all of Prentice's generation on a steady diet of stories which Prentice at some point rejects as lies. like his father's vantage point on religion, which he takes exception to as colouring his world. then his father dies and this foolish one-sided estrangement on (shaky) principle cannot be mended. which sets Prentice to doggedly looking for Kenneth's younger brother Rory in his lost manuscripts, Rory who wrote in youth a travel book of some reputation, and then disappeared.
Prentice then is a young man, both lovable and misguided, looking for his muse and his purpose in all the wrong places and attempting doggedly to make his own story, shape his own life. but Rory's story resists him, partly because he has rejected his father's story, and now he cannot fix that, or find himself. then Rory's story itself proves to be much different than the one he imagined. not to mention dangerous, leading him to not one but three different murders over time, while his search creates a threat both to his family and his own person that he is slow to divine. he can't go on being oblivious to everything around him. especially when simultaneously meddling. now he must act to protect what he loves, and to do that he must identify what he really does love, and care about.
so on that level, it's a coming of age story, surrounded by complicated families, relationships, and stories Prentice has tried to escape, although they have made him. it all comes together as Prentice really finds himself, in an accelerated process he is ill prepared for, except inasmuch as his whole life has prepared him. simple, right? every line of it worked, and i knew them all, and their surroundings too, the land they all love, even the ones who hardly notice, even those like Kenneth who try to pin it down, and even those like his brother Rory and his three sons, who all try very hard to escape it.
so, a story with many levels of structure buried in plain sight. a family saga, a murder mystery, a coming-of-age story, a regional novel. and more (it's really about the nature and the power of stories, for instance)(and the process of finding your own voice, not only in writing but in life)(okay, stopping now). from a master storyteller who's himself just getting started here, and who effortlessly always manages to make the reader care about whatever story he's writing today, and everything and everyone on every page. and the crow road, in the vernacular? that's the road that leads to death, that we are all on, though hopefully not coming to the end of that today.
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that in a way, it's absolutely perfect. it loves its characters, who are all so real they fly off the page. it loves its setting, the part of Scotland which Banks i must assume comes from. it's a love letter, really, to the land and to the people of that country. it doesn't read like it's engaged in Important Work. but it nails it, nails them all, the whole damn thing, with every line.there are no tricks to the writing, unless we count Banks' usual habit of not writing chronologically, so that you have to mostly guess the date of every bit, and extrapolate who's got the talking stick. and until you notice that in a way, he isn't so much writing a family saga as a murder mystery, across two generations. i went so far as to create some genealogical charts, i got so absorbed in the hidden shape of the narrative; next time (and there will be one) i read it, i will probably be able to fill in more, sketch out three or four generations of McHoans and Watts and Urvills, fit them into their proper places. it's not that you'll need to. it's just that the book made me want to; and it was a vantage point, a bit outside the story, that gave me an excuse to stop for a bit, so i could enjoy a bit longer whatever page i was reading.
you know how sometimes a book is so full of little stories and characters that come to life and won't let go? so you don't want that little bit to end, much less the whole thing? it was like that, really. Lewis grabs off his younger brother's obsession object, Verity Walker, which is a good thing because the oblivious Prentice is obviously meant for Ashley Watt, who is smarter than he is, even smart enough to wait till he figures it out. Prentice is also at war with his father Kenneth McHoan, a gifted storyteller who has in some sense raised all of Prentice's generation on a steady diet of stories which Prentice at some point rejects as lies. like his father's vantage point on religion, which he takes exception to as colouring his world. then his father dies and this foolish one-sided estrangement on (shaky) principle cannot be mended. which sets Prentice to doggedly looking for Kenneth's younger brother Rory in his lost manuscripts, Rory who wrote in youth a travel book of some reputation, and then disappeared.
Prentice then is a young man, both lovable and misguided, looking for his muse and his purpose in all the wrong places and attempting doggedly to make his own story, shape his own life. but Rory's story resists him, partly because he has rejected his father's story, and now he cannot fix that, or find himself. then Rory's story itself proves to be much different than the one he imagined. not to mention dangerous, leading him to not one but three different murders over time, while his search creates a threat both to his family and his own person that he is slow to divine. he can't go on being oblivious to everything around him. especially when simultaneously meddling. now he must act to protect what he loves, and to do that he must identify what he really does love, and care about.
so on that level, it's a coming of age story, surrounded by complicated families, relationships, and stories Prentice has tried to escape, although they have made him. it all comes together as Prentice really finds himself, in an accelerated process he is ill prepared for, except inasmuch as his whole life has prepared him. simple, right? every line of it worked, and i knew them all, and their surroundings too, the land they all love, even the ones who hardly notice, even those like Kenneth who try to pin it down, and even those like his brother Rory and his three sons, who all try very hard to escape it.
so, a story with many levels of structure buried in plain sight. a family saga, a murder mystery, a coming-of-age story, a regional novel. and more (it's really about the nature and the power of stories, for instance)(and the process of finding your own voice, not only in writing but in life)(okay, stopping now). from a master storyteller who's himself just getting started here, and who effortlessly always manages to make the reader care about whatever story he's writing today, and everything and everyone on every page. and the crow road, in the vernacular? that's the road that leads to death, that we are all on, though hopefully not coming to the end of that today.
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
This is, in my opinion, Iain Banks's finest novels, and one of my all time favourites. It manages to mix the comic (from the grand opening line, "It was the day my grandmother exploded") and the tragic, with the customary dysfunctional family that banks seems always to portray so deftly.
Essentially
Some eight years before the novel opens Prentice's Uncle Rory (briefly famous following the publication some years earlier of his hippy-trail notes about travelling around India) had disappeared, though Prentice's father (Kenneth - a successful author of children's books) is convinced that he is still alive. Meanwhile Ashley Watt, a friend of Prentice from their schooldays) has met a journalist who drunkenly reveals that he may know something odd about the McHoan family. Prentice starts to gather the various notes and papers that Rory had left behind, which suggest that he was engaged on a new work called "The Crow Road". This is, of course, a metaphor for death.
The story goes through a huge numbers of twists and turns, though never straining plausibility or losing the reader's engagement, during which there are a number of other deaths among the McHoan family. Banks is superb at mixing the contemporary (the rock, fashion and TV references are spot on throughout) with Celtic mysticism, all underpinned with a healthily scathing cynicism.
It was a great joy to re-read this book - it seemed even better this time around.
Essentially
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the novel spans a little more than a year in the life of Prentice McHoan, a student from the imaginary village of Gallanach in Argyll, though is is permeated throughout with flashbacks, and even occasionally flashbacks within other flashbacks.Some eight years before the novel opens Prentice's Uncle Rory (briefly famous following the publication some years earlier of his hippy-trail notes about travelling around India) had disappeared, though Prentice's father (Kenneth - a successful author of children's books) is convinced that he is still alive. Meanwhile Ashley Watt, a friend of Prentice from their schooldays) has met a journalist who drunkenly reveals that he may know something odd about the McHoan family. Prentice starts to gather the various notes and papers that Rory had left behind, which suggest that he was engaged on a new work called "The Crow Road". This is, of course, a metaphor for death.
The story goes through a huge numbers of twists and turns, though never straining plausibility or losing the reader's engagement, during which there are a number of other deaths among the McHoan family. Banks is superb at mixing the contemporary (the rock, fashion and TV references are spot on throughout) with Celtic mysticism, all underpinned with a healthily scathing cynicism.
It was a great joy to re-read this book - it seemed even better this time around.
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LibraryThing member Carol420
This story literally begins with a bang. Two things brought me and this book together...well actually three...,many of you know by now that I will read strange things in order to fulfill a challenge. Other than the challenge...I had to see if grandma literally exploded...and it was written by one
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of my favorite authors, Iain Banks. I had read about half way through and thought that Prentice must surely be a long lost cousin of mine. He would have fit in perfectly with my big, gruff Scottish grandfather. His exploits in this eccentric Scottish family are funny and so desperately true. You will find a bit of everything in here...mystery, magic, myths and it conveys it all with a first hand account that could only have been told the better if wee Prentice were telling you the story himself over a dram or two. Not a dull moment in it and always surprising. This book is definitely worth reading. Oh...and don't forget to find out about grandma:) Show Less
LibraryThing member RobertDay
Prentice McHoan is an under-graduate studying history at Glasgow University in the late 1980s. His extended family are well-placed Scots middle class from Argyll. but in the course of a year Prentice and his family go through a time of upheaval that will leave none of them untouched.
I came to 'The
I was also struck by the humour in the book, though sometimes some of Prentice's witticisms and puns seemed a bit contrived, but probably quite in character. And there were definite instances where Banks' alter ego, Iain M. Banks, tried to intrude, with reflections on the nature of Time, Space and Everything.
At the outset, everything was so familiar that I was slightly underwhelmed because I knew what would happen next. But the writing and incidental detail kept my interest until I found myself staying up really late to finish the book off DESPITE knowing how it ended. The perspective I had from the tv series also distracted me somewhat, because from the outset, that made clear that there was a mystery about the disappearance of Rory; but in the novel, it is only about half-way through that it dawns on the reader that Rory is a character only seen in flashback and that he is, in fact, a missing person.
Others have commented on the sense of place in the novel and assumed that this was Banks writing about his homeland. But Banks came from the east coast of Scotland - 'The Bridge' is more influenced by his upbringing than this book - as opposed to the west coast where 'The Crow Road' is set. But he obviously knew the area well, as the sense of place and landscape is very strong, and the place-names, though fictional, ring very true. Gallanach is actually a farmhouse to the south of Oban; the McHoan family may well take its name from Kilchoan Loch further to the south between Oban and Kilmartin. It is very easy to place the action of the story in a known landscape, only very slightly at an angle to our own reality.
In all, then, this is a family saga that morphs into a mystery and gets to a resolution via some quite deep speculation on Life, the Universe and the nature (or otherwise) of God. And the characters get to have a lot of fun along the way, which we are able to share.
I came to 'The
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Crow Road' rather late, and also labouring under the burden of being quite familiar with the BBC TV dramatization of some years back (of which, Banks himself said "Disturbingly better than the book in too many places."). So to some extent, my perception of the novel, its plot and characters was influenced by my foreknowledge of events and characterisations. This didn't spoil the book for me, and indeed it may have helped with Banks' non-chronological story-telling (but then again, I coped with the non-linear timelines in 'Use of Weapons' OK); it also meant that where the book and tv series differed, this was a new discovery for me (mainly in terms of scenes that didn't make it to the screen, some more of Prentice's inner dialogue, and a few variations as to plot - nothing substantial, though). There are even a few more characters in the novel, especially the children of Uncles Hamish and Fergus; they are not relevant to the plot particularly, but they are present in the book and have adequate stature in it.I was also struck by the humour in the book, though sometimes some of Prentice's witticisms and puns seemed a bit contrived, but probably quite in character. And there were definite instances where Banks' alter ego, Iain M. Banks, tried to intrude, with reflections on the nature of Time, Space and Everything.
At the outset, everything was so familiar that I was slightly underwhelmed because I knew what would happen next. But the writing and incidental detail kept my interest until I found myself staying up really late to finish the book off DESPITE knowing how it ended. The perspective I had from the tv series also distracted me somewhat, because from the outset, that made clear that there was a mystery about the disappearance of Rory; but in the novel, it is only about half-way through that it dawns on the reader that Rory is a character only seen in flashback and that he is, in fact, a missing person.
Others have commented on the sense of place in the novel and assumed that this was Banks writing about his homeland. But Banks came from the east coast of Scotland - 'The Bridge' is more influenced by his upbringing than this book - as opposed to the west coast where 'The Crow Road' is set. But he obviously knew the area well, as the sense of place and landscape is very strong, and the place-names, though fictional, ring very true. Gallanach is actually a farmhouse to the south of Oban; the McHoan family may well take its name from Kilchoan Loch further to the south between Oban and Kilmartin. It is very easy to place the action of the story in a known landscape, only very slightly at an angle to our own reality.
In all, then, this is a family saga that morphs into a mystery and gets to a resolution via some quite deep speculation on Life, the Universe and the nature (or otherwise) of God. And the characters get to have a lot of fun along the way, which we are able to share.
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LibraryThing member -Eva-
Prentice McHoan returns home to his exploding grandmother's funeral and trudges through his family history to figure out what happened to his disappeared Uncle Rory, which woman he should love, and whether God exists - all the ponderings helpfully aided by healthy doses of malt whisky and weed.
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It's a sprawling saga this, with a multitude of threads being presented seemingly haphazardly until they slowly get tied together and the whole pattern eventually reveals itself. Told from multiple characters' point of view and jumping back and forth in time, the voice of this family saga/love story/mystery doesn't waver and, although it gives it a coherent story arc, it makes for an occasionally monotonous read, but not one that's tempting to abandon - Prentice and his family are human enough with all their flaws and foibles to keep the reader interested. It has some passages that are absolutely riveting and beautifully written with quite a few poignant and heartfelt discussions, as well as some passages that display a seriously dark sense of humor. Although this will not become one of my favorite reads (besides a few genius passages), I became enamored enough with Banks' style and morbid sense of humor that I will have to seek out more of his non-Sci-Fi writing. Show Less
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
This novel is multi-facted: a mystery, a panoramic history of Scotland, at times a side-splitting comedy, yet also a touching love story. Essentially the book centres on life on the West coast of Scotland and shows how one can never whooly shed one's past, however ardently one might strive to
Perhaps this masterpiece came rather too early in Banks's career as he have never come close to emulating the all-round splendour of this book.
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reinvent oneself.Perhaps this masterpiece came rather too early in Banks's career as he have never come close to emulating the all-round splendour of this book.
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LibraryThing member nbmars
This fascinating, very literate novel begins with a funeral, and its description in the first paragraph of the book has become somewhat iconic:
“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,
(Apparently, someone forgot to remove Grandma’s pacemaker before the cremation.)
The narrator, Prentice McHoan, thinks a lot about “the crow road,” which is a Scottish expression for death, and the possibility (or not) of an afterlife. Prentice, the product of a rather dysfunctional (in its own unique way, of course) family, also contemplates his romances, the life of his father, and the fate of his Uncle Roary, who disappeared eight years earlier. The book goes back and forth in time (often with only a slight hint about the transition from the author), but most of the story takes place in the present, which in this story is 1991. In that year, Prentice was a university student from the imaginary village of Gallanach in Argyll, and Britain was about to enter the First Gulf War.
Banks adds a number of [fun to look back at today] cultural references that help situate the book in time, and which must have added a sense of relevancy when he published it in 1992.
Prentice, estranged from his father who is an avowed atheist, has trouble accepting the stoicism about death advocated by atheists. Nor does he care to embrace the concept of death as the total end of the road. His ruminations on the meaning of life and death are a central theme of the book.
In a remarkable plot evolution, the Bildungsroman of the first 400 pages becomes - for about 90 pages, a murder mystery, although we cannot be sure whether there was in fact a murder.
Along the way, there is a good deal of humor, especially over family relationships, and some excellent character development. The ending resolves the mysteries as well as some of the existential angst.
Banks is a clever and competent, though occasionally florid, writer. I wanted to read this book because it has been called a modern classic, and because I had heard that it provides a fairly accurate snapshot of some of the elements in Scotland that inform the culture. There is a great deal about cars, whisky, and storytelling. In addition, Scotland itself serves as a character, with Banks often setting the scene with fog-covered cliffs, old burial sites, henges, and the castles - both intact and not so much - that still dot the landscape.
The book was adapted by the BBC into a popular TV series in Britain in 1996.
Evaluation: The Crow Road is not a page turner, but it's not really a murder mystery either. It is more of a family saga with a coming-of-age protagonist and an interesting twist. I won’t soon forget Prentice McHoan and his family.
(JAB)
“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,
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and I reflected that it always seemed to be death that drew me back to Gallanach.”(Apparently, someone forgot to remove Grandma’s pacemaker before the cremation.)
The narrator, Prentice McHoan, thinks a lot about “the crow road,” which is a Scottish expression for death, and the possibility (or not) of an afterlife. Prentice, the product of a rather dysfunctional (in its own unique way, of course) family, also contemplates his romances, the life of his father, and the fate of his Uncle Roary, who disappeared eight years earlier. The book goes back and forth in time (often with only a slight hint about the transition from the author), but most of the story takes place in the present, which in this story is 1991. In that year, Prentice was a university student from the imaginary village of Gallanach in Argyll, and Britain was about to enter the First Gulf War.
Banks adds a number of [fun to look back at today] cultural references that help situate the book in time, and which must have added a sense of relevancy when he published it in 1992.
Prentice, estranged from his father who is an avowed atheist, has trouble accepting the stoicism about death advocated by atheists. Nor does he care to embrace the concept of death as the total end of the road. His ruminations on the meaning of life and death are a central theme of the book.
In a remarkable plot evolution, the Bildungsroman of the first 400 pages becomes - for about 90 pages, a murder mystery, although we cannot be sure whether there was in fact a murder.
Along the way, there is a good deal of humor, especially over family relationships, and some excellent character development. The ending resolves the mysteries as well as some of the existential angst.
Banks is a clever and competent, though occasionally florid, writer. I wanted to read this book because it has been called a modern classic, and because I had heard that it provides a fairly accurate snapshot of some of the elements in Scotland that inform the culture. There is a great deal about cars, whisky, and storytelling. In addition, Scotland itself serves as a character, with Banks often setting the scene with fog-covered cliffs, old burial sites, henges, and the castles - both intact and not so much - that still dot the landscape.
The book was adapted by the BBC into a popular TV series in Britain in 1996.
Evaluation: The Crow Road is not a page turner, but it's not really a murder mystery either. It is more of a family saga with a coming-of-age protagonist and an interesting twist. I won’t soon forget Prentice McHoan and his family.
(JAB)
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LibraryThing member hemlokgang
I did not find this book to be particularly compelling, and found myself wondering what it was about it that resulted in it being placed on the 1001 books to read before you die list. It was a so-so story about a quirky Scottish family.
LibraryThing member planetmut
Just finished this and absolutely loved it. The only other Banks novel I'd read was The Wasp Factory, so to be honest I had no idea what to expect from The Crow Road but after one reading it's now in my top 10 books. A superb effort.
LibraryThing member elkeursin
This book is just amazing. I love the writing style and the storyline is so very interesting! I found so many wonderful quotes in this story that will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend this book!
LibraryThing member Melanielgarrett
When this book is on form, it is stupendous. But there were several very long sequences (notably those involving children) which were too cute by half, and as a result, highly unconvincing. Worse, very few of these sequences actually had any bearing on the plot itself, and the two which did, could
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have been delivered in BRIEF, flashbacks, from the POV of an adult. Writing from a child's POV is a very tricky business to pull off without being completely patronising, and to me, the Crow Road suffers badly from this. But some of the stuff which is told from an older POV are truly outstanding, and I would have happily given those 10 stars in places if I could have. Show Less
LibraryThing member plabebob
Not one of his best, I found this very slow moving, even by Banks' standard & not enough plot twists or crazy characters to fill the gaps. Not awful but definitely not gripping either.
LibraryThing member Loth
Possibly my favourite book of all time. Don't think I will ever get tired of it, and in Ashley he has created one of my favourite female characters too. No mean feat.
LibraryThing member SaturdayReadingGroup
A first foray into the world of Iain Banks for me and, whilst the story gripped and the language sparkled, by the end I was just a little disappointed. It seemed to me that the novel couldn't decide whether it was a family saga, a murder mystery or a tartan clad bildungsroman, and while all these
But I'm moaning too much about a book which kept me entertained and made me think for all of its 400 odd pages.
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elements were enjoyable and well written, they never quite gelled into a completely satisfying novel. I think I would have enjoyed hearing less from Prentice and more from Kenneth, exploding Granny McHoan, Fergus and Uncle Rory. And for a novel that toys interestingly with the line between fiction and reality I was expecting more ambiguity by the end as opposed to the rather conventional conclusion that Banks delivers. I'd also gripe that the female characters remained vague and a touch lifeless and that the plot rests on an excessively massive coincidence.But I'm moaning too much about a book which kept me entertained and made me think for all of its 400 odd pages.
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LibraryThing member iayork
Surprising: I was given this book by a friend who absolutely loved it. It was not the type of book I would usually pick up, and at the time had never even heard of Iain Banks.
I read the blurb on the back and wasn't impressed, but sat down to read my new book with little expectation.
I was therefor
Since reading this book I have also read th Wasp Factory, which I also enjoyed, but not quite as much as The Crow Road.
I will always be thankful to my friend for introducing me to Iain Banks.
I read the blurb on the back and wasn't impressed, but sat down to read my new book with little expectation.
I was therefor
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surprised to find that I had been given a real gem. One of those books that are just so hard to put down. Since reading this book I have also read th Wasp Factory, which I also enjoyed, but not quite as much as The Crow Road.
I will always be thankful to my friend for introducing me to Iain Banks.
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LibraryThing member edwinbcn
Generally speaking, I am not fond of books that have no plot. So, while written well and convincing, this book is just an ongoing report on people's lives, less 'radical' than James Kelman, another Scottish writer, but neither of them able to capture my interest.
LibraryThing member alexleonard
An excellent piece of story telling, with good strong characters and a plot that draws you in until you're wholly engaged.
LibraryThing member stuart10er
In reading one of the other reviews, someone mentioned that the book was a little slow going until it hit a "can't put down" moment about 350 pages into the book. I would have to agree with this. I enjoyed the book in the first 350 pages. The characters were interesting enough to keep me reading,
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but there wasn't enough forward motion in the plot to keep me from putting the book down. After that magic moment, I finished the book in 2 days having reached a point where I grasped at least some of the importance of the setup in the first 350 pages. I did enjoy it - the story was worth telling and told well - although I think I still enjoyed the Bridge more. Show Less
LibraryThing member briefmissives
Excellent book. It's a wonderful blend of serious drama, comedy (some dark, some not), and just life in general. Scotland and Scottish-ness pours out of this book, and I loved every moment of reading it. Pity there's not a sequel to it!
Writing-wise, I really enjoyed Banks' fluid use of time and
Writing-wise, I really enjoyed Banks' fluid use of time and
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perspective. Jumping backwards and forward in time, coupled with the changes in perspective, kept things fresh, and made me appreciate Prentice's (the main character) voice even more. Show Less
LibraryThing member PilgrimJess
"People can be teachers and idiots; they can be philosophers and idiots; they can be politicians and idiots;.......a genius can be an idiot. The world is largely run for and by idiots."
'Crow Road' opens with a funeral with a quite memorable first paragraph:
“It was the day my grandmother exploded.
Prentice McHoan, the main narrator, is the middle son of a uniquely dysfunctional family who is estranged from his avowedly atheist father because he simply cannot accept the concept that death is simply the end of the road. He spends a lot of time contemplating “the crow road,” a Scottish expression for death, the possibility of an afterlife, and the fate of his Uncle Rory, who disappeared eight years earlier.
Most of the story takes place in the present, 1991, but also moves back and forth in time (often without any hint from the author about the transition). Prentice hails from the imaginary village of Gallanach in Argyll, is studying History at a Glasgow university and Britain is about to enter the First Gulf War.
After the first 400 or so pages the novel suddenly becomes a murder mystery, although we cannot be sure whether there ever was in fact a murder.
There is a good deal of humour, some excellent character development, a large amount of whiskey drinking (the drug of choice) along with a liberal sprinkling of historical/cultural references that help to set the book in a certain time and place. However, Scotland with its fog-shrouded countryside, ancient burial sites, henges and castles becomes a character in its own right.
Banks is a clever writer who has become one of my authors of choice of late. Once again I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style with it's subtle wit but whilst I enjoyed the elements that revolved around family relationships, which I felt that he set up beautifully, I found the murder/mystery element a bit of a let down. Personally I felt it as if Banks had no idea quite how to tie up the loose ends that he had spun. I also wanted to scream at Prentice to open his eyes, I just couldn't believe that he was so blind to what was right in front of his eyes even if he does finally get the girl.
An enjoyable but flawed piece of escapism.
'Crow Road' opens with a funeral with a quite memorable first paragraph:
“It was the day my grandmother exploded.
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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.”Prentice McHoan, the main narrator, is the middle son of a uniquely dysfunctional family who is estranged from his avowedly atheist father because he simply cannot accept the concept that death is simply the end of the road. He spends a lot of time contemplating “the crow road,” a Scottish expression for death, the possibility of an afterlife, and the fate of his Uncle Rory, who disappeared eight years earlier.
Most of the story takes place in the present, 1991, but also moves back and forth in time (often without any hint from the author about the transition). Prentice hails from the imaginary village of Gallanach in Argyll, is studying History at a Glasgow university and Britain is about to enter the First Gulf War.
After the first 400 or so pages the novel suddenly becomes a murder mystery, although we cannot be sure whether there ever was in fact a murder.
There is a good deal of humour, some excellent character development, a large amount of whiskey drinking (the drug of choice) along with a liberal sprinkling of historical/cultural references that help to set the book in a certain time and place. However, Scotland with its fog-shrouded countryside, ancient burial sites, henges and castles becomes a character in its own right.
Banks is a clever writer who has become one of my authors of choice of late. Once again I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style with it's subtle wit but whilst I enjoyed the elements that revolved around family relationships, which I felt that he set up beautifully, I found the murder/mystery element a bit of a let down. Personally I felt it as if Banks had no idea quite how to tie up the loose ends that he had spun. I also wanted to scream at Prentice to open his eyes, I just couldn't believe that he was so blind to what was right in front of his eyes even if he does finally get the girl.
An enjoyable but flawed piece of escapism.
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LibraryThing member mlbelize
This book is written in a very non-linear style which made it very difficult to comprehend what was going on at the beginning. Once I understood the rhythm of the narrative what developed was a very well written, interesting story of a family in Scotland. Banks did an excellent job with
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characterization, not only in defining them but making me really care what happened to them. This is a slower paced book that kept my interest to the end and actually left me wanting more. Highly recommend. Show Less
LibraryThing member gbelik
I found this a bit slow moving, but still quite engrossing. This story of a Scottish family has well developed characters, a bit of humor and a dose of mystery.
LibraryThing member miketroll
Written with zest, a story of family relationships, crystallizing social attitudes in late 20th Century Scotland.
LibraryThing member jkdavies
From it's attention grabbing first line to the love story coming together at the end, this is a perfect book.
My favourite part? The story Prentice's Dad tells him about the stone piles on top of the hills...
My favourite part? The story Prentice's Dad tells him about the stone piles on top of the hills...
LibraryThing member SassyBrit
The 25th Anniversary edition of The Crow Road provides an insight to Iain Banks earlier writing. I have to admit to not reading this previously, and I found it to be an interesting coming of age story of life, death, sex, drugs and everything in between.
It flicks backwards and forwards in time and
I honestly do not know why I had not picked this one up before! Admittedly this is a strange story surrounding the family and drama of Prentice McHoan; a complex family with much to share. It will have you feeling a wide mixture of feeling
s from laugh out loud moments to ewwww! I think I'm going to puke! How many books do you think can do that, these days? It is bleak and depressing at times, just like the Scottish Highlands in winter... but even so, both have captivating and distinctive views like no other.
It flicks backwards and forwards in time and
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has its quite bizarre moments, yet from the first line - It was the day my grandmother exploded - I realised this book was going to be different, an alternative read, one might say. What really happened in The Crow Road, when uncle Rory disappeared? I honestly do not know why I had not picked this one up before! Admittedly this is a strange story surrounding the family and drama of Prentice McHoan; a complex family with much to share. It will have you feeling a wide mixture of feeling
s from laugh out loud moments to ewwww! I think I'm going to puke! How many books do you think can do that, these days? It is bleak and depressing at times, just like the Scottish Highlands in winter... but even so, both have captivating and distinctive views like no other.
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