NationMaster - Encyclopedia: The Crow Road

The Crow Road is a novel by the Scottish writer Iain Banks, published in 1992. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Iain Menzies Banks (officially Iain Banks, born on 16 February 1954 in Dunfermline, Fife) is a Scottish writer. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... This article is about the country. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article is about the literary concept. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately-held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... ISBN redirects here. ... The State of the Art is a collection of short fiction, mainly science fiction, by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks, first published in 1991. ... Against a Dark Background is a science fiction novel by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks, first published in 1993. ... This article is about the country. ... Iain Menzies Banks (officially Iain Banks, born on 16 February 1954 in Dunfermline, Fife) is a Scottish writer. ...

==Plot shit == 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. For other uses, see Death (disambiguation), Dead (disambiguation), or Death (band). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In the contexts of sociology and of popular culture, the concept of interpersonal relationships involves social associations, connections, or affiliations between two or more people. ... Alcoholic beverages An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, although in chemistry the definition of alcohol includes many other compounds. ... A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical that alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness, or behaviour. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...

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 the fictional Argyll town of Gallanach (by its description, reminiscent of Oban), the real village of Lochgair, and in Glasgow where Prentice McHoan lives. Prentice's beloved uncle Rory disappears mysteriously while writing a book called The Crow Road. Prentice becomes obsessed with the papers left behind by his missing uncle and sets out to solve the mystery. The family saga is a genre of literature which chronicles the lives and doings of a family or a number of related or interconnected families over a period of time. ... Argyll, archaically Argyle (Airthir-Ghaidheal in Gaelic, translated as [the] East Gael, or [the] East Irish), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a traditional county of Scotland. ... For other uses, see Oban (disambiguation). ... Lochgair is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ...

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, a committed atheist, is killed by lightning while climbing a church tower, trying to settle an argument about the existence of God. The family has already suffered tragedy through the death of Kenneth's sister Fiona (married to Fergus Urvill) in a car crash. For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ... Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, and others. ...

Prentice's old friend Ashley Watt and others help him in his quest to find the key to Rory's disappearance.

Literary significance & criticizm

Reckoned by many as Banks' most likeable book, it combines menace (it contains an account of a 'perfect murder') and dark humor (c.f. the opening sentence reproduced above) 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, the fictional town of Gallanach and his family's home in Lochgair are carefully described, giving Prentice's life depth and context. The perfect murder is a murder which benefits the murderer, but also has no negative consequences for the murderer; usually, this simply means that the murderer is never caught. ...

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'.) A Bildungsroman (IPA: /, German: novel of self-cultivation) is a novelistic form which concentrates on the spiritual, moral, psychological, or social development and growth of the protagonist usually from childhood to maturity. ...

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.

Adaptation

The Crow Road was adapted for television by Bryan Elsley for the BBC in 1996. See The Crow Road. Bryan Elsley (born 17 May 1961, Dalkeith) is a television writer. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... The Crow Road was a television miniseries by the BBC in 1996, based on the novel by Iain Banks. ...

Bibliography

External links

Categories: 1992 novels | Novels by Iain Banks Iain Menzies Banks (officially Iain Banks, born on 16 February 1954 in Dunfermline, Fife) is a Scottish writer. ... For the record label, see Wasp Factory Recordings The Wasp Factory was the first novel by Scottish writer Iain Banks. ... Walking on Glass was the second published novel by the Scots author Iain Banks. ... The Bridge is a novel by Scottish author Iain Banks. ... Espedair Street is a rock and roll-based novel by Iain Banks. ... Canal Dreams is a novel by Scottish writer Iain Banks, published in 1989. ... This article is about the novel by Scottish author Ian Banks. ... Whit, or, Isis amongst the unsaved is a novel by the Scottish writer Iain Banks, published in 1995. ... Cover of an early edition of the book Spoiler warning: A Song of Stone is a novel by Scottish writer Iain Banks, published in 1997. ... For other uses, see The Business. ... Dead air is a phenomenon whereby a broadcast which normally carries audio or video unintentionally becomes silent or blank (also known as unmodulated carrier). ... Raw Spirit: In Search of the Perfect Dram is a nonfiction book by Iain Banks first published in 2003. ... The Steep Approach to Garbadale is a novel by the Scottish writer Iain Banks, published in 2007. ... Iain Menzies Banks (born on February 16, 1954 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland) writes mainstream novels as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks. ... Consider Phlebas is a science fiction novel by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks, first published in 1987. ... The Player of Games is a science fiction novel by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks, first published in 1988. ... Use of Weapons is a science fiction novel by Iain M. Banks, and the third to deal with the Culture, his fictional technological utopia. ... The State of the Art is a collection of short fiction, mainly science fiction, by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks, first published in 1991. ... Against a Dark Background is a science fiction novel by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks, first published in 1993. ... Feersum Endjinn is a science fiction novel by Iain M. Banks; unlike most of his science fiction, it does not feature the Culture. ... Excession, first published in 1996, is Scottish writer Iain M. Banks fourth science fiction novel to feature the Culture. ... Cover of an early edition of the book Inversions is a science fiction novel by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks, first published in 1998. ... Look to Windward is a science fiction novel by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks, first published in 2000. ... The Algebraist, a science fiction novel by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks, first appeared in print in 2004. ...

Contents

Literary significance & criticizm

Adaptation

Bibliography

External links