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.
Review
The tense horror of the book...is done with considerable imaginative subtlety and a fine touch....This is as fine and ambitious a novel as any from a Scottish writer since the 1960s. It is also unquestionable Bank's best work to date ―New Statesman **
One of the best opening lines of any novel... a warm, witty and ultimately very poignant book― Guardian
Menacing, dark and very funny― Telegraph
His masterpiece . . . it's got a beating heart, and you want to keep reading―Jay Rayner, Daily Express
Banks keeps death in its place, under the boot of wit which knows that the most significant romance can blossom whilst your youngest brother is up to the elbow in Sugar Smacks looking for the plastic toy― Observer
Banks has wovena warm and funny story, rich with characters and adventures.An utterly enchanting piece of fiction...it marks a return to his brilliant best― New Woman
Bank reinforces his credentials asone of the most able, energetic and stimulating writers we havein the UK― Time Out
The Crow Road is tight with detail and closer observation and creates a strong sense of a particular period of growing up―** Independent
About the Author
Iain Banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, THE WASP FACTORY, in 1984. He gained enormous popular and critical acclaim for both his mainstream and his science fiction novels. Iain Banks died in June 2013.
Description:
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.
Review
The tense horror of the book...is done with considerable imaginative subtlety and a fine touch....This is as fine and ambitious a novel as any from a Scottish writer since the 1960s. It is also unquestionable Bank's best work to date ―New Statesman **
One of the best opening lines of any novel ... a warm, witty and ultimately very poignant book― Guardian
Menacing, dark and very funny― Telegraph
His masterpiece . . . it's got a beating heart, and you want to keep reading― Jay Rayner , Daily Express
Banks keeps death in its place, under the boot of wit which knows that the most significant romance can blossom whilst your youngest brother is up to the elbow in Sugar Smacks looking for the plastic toy― Observer
Banks has woven a warm and funny story , rich with characters and adventures. An utterly enchanting piece of fiction. ..it marks a return to his brilliant best― New Woman
Bank reinforces his credentials as one of the most able, energetic and stimulating writers we have in the UK― Time Out
The Crow Road is tight with detail and closer observation and creates a strong sense of a particular period of growing up―** Independent
About the Author
Iain Banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, THE WASP FACTORY, in 1984. He gained enormous popular and critical acclaim for both his mainstream and his science fiction novels. Iain Banks died in June 2013.