Title Whit

Author	Iain Banks
Country	Scotland
Language	English
Genre(s)	Novel
Publisher	Abacus Press
Released	1995
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	455 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0-349-10768-8
Preceded by	Feersum Endjinn
Followed by	Excession

Whit, or, Isis amongst the unsaved is a novel by the Scottish writer Iain Banks, published in 1995. It is told in the voice of Isis Whit, a young but important member of a small, quirky cult in Scotland. The community believes that Isis' cousin Morag is in danger, and Isis is sent to help. Image File history File links IainBanksWhit. ... Iain Menzies Banks (officially Iain Banks, born on February 16, 1954 in Dunfermline, Fife) is a Scottish writer. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity(English) Wha daur meddle wi me? (Scots)[1] Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots[2] Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... Hachette Book Group USA (HBG) is a publishing company owned by Hachette Livre, the largest publishing company in France. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Feersum Endjinn is a science fiction novel by Iain M. Banks; unlike most of his science fiction, it does not feature the Culture. ... Excession is a science fiction novel by Iain M. Banks and the fourth published to feature The Culture. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity(English) Wha daur meddle wi me? (Scots)[1] Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots[2] Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... Iain Menzies Banks (officially Iain Banks, born on February 16, 1954 in Dunfermline, Fife) is a Scottish writer. ...

Plot summary

Isis, otherwise The Blessed Very Reverend Gaia-Marie Isis Saraswati Minerva Mirza Whit of Luskentyre, Beloved Elect of God III, is the teenage granddaughter and spiritual heir of Salvador Whit, patriarch of the Luskentyrians. They are a religious cult who live in a commune in Stirlingshire, and reject most technology. They run their lives according to a collection of beliefs and rituals which were 'revealed' to Salvador when he was washed ashore on one of the Western Isles, and 'married' two young Asian ladies. Haggis pakora is thus a staple of the cult's cuisine. A Commune is a kind of intentional community where most resources are shared and there is little or no personal property. ... Stirlingshire (Siorrachd Sruighlea in Gaelic) is a traditional county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the traditional county town. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ... The Western Isles are an archipelago in Scotland. ... The term British Asian is used to denote a person of South Asian ancestry or origin, who was born in or was an immigrant to the United Kingdom, former heartland of the British Empire. ... Cuisine (from French cuisine, cooking; culinary art; kitchen; ultimately from Latin coquere, to cook) is a specific set of cooking traditions and practices, often associated with a specific culture. ...

The novel opens shortly before the Luskentyrian Festival of Love, held every four years, about nine months before every leap year day (February 29). Those born on that day are believed to have special power. This includes Isis herself, Elect of God, due to take over leadership of the cult. A leap year (or intercalary year) is a year containing an extra day (or, in case of lunisolar calendars, an extra month) in order to keep the calendar year synchronised with the astronomical or seasonal year. ... February 29th, or bissextile day, is the 60th day of a leap year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 306 days remaining. ...

The heart of the novel is Isis' voyage into the world of 'the Unsaved' (who are also known as 'the Obtuse', 'the Wretched', 'the Bland' and 'the Asleep'), through southern England looking for Morag, who is feared to have rejected the cult. Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

Because of Isis' anti-technology and self-denying puritanical beliefs, she has to use a Sitting Board (a hard board she can put over the comfortable seats in cars in order to deprive herself of cushioning). She also uses the technique of Back-Bussing in order to avoid paying for a ticket on the bus. This consists of getting on buses, and when the conductor comes along, asking for a ticket in the opposite direction while looking confused. This normally results in being allowed to get off at the next stop and pointed in the right direction.

While searching for her cousin, Isis meets Rastas, policemen, racist skinheads, and other dubious characters of a sort she has never encountered before, and tells the story of the cult and the rationale behind its rules. Isis’ maternal grandmother, Yolanda, a feisty Texan woman, appears and lends her support to Isis' quest. Isis' friend Sophi, although she is not part of the cult, is very close to her. She meets her whenever she goes to her house to use the Luskentyrian method of free (if laborious) telephone communication, using coded rings. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Nazi-Skinheads are a right wing subculture that developed in the United Kingdom in the first half of the 1980s. ... Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ...

When Isis finds Morag, she learns that though Morag has lapsed somewhat in her Luskentyrian beliefs (her work as a porn actress is not inconsistent with the cult's beliefs) she had every intention of returning for the festival. The story now takes a more sinister turn, as we learn that the now supposed motive for Isis' journey was cooked up by her brother in an attempt to get her out of the picture in a bid to take over the leadership of the cult. PORN can refer to: An abbreviation for pornography Progressive outer retinal necrosis, a disease of the retina Categories: | ...

Isis also learns the history of her grandfather, and rescues her grandmother from an old people's home. Confident that her mild senility will recover once she is in a less boring environment, Isis soon learns more of the origins of the cult from her. She finds out that her grandfather was a robber on the run, and that the cult he set up is based on lies.

Returning with her grandmother, enhanced maturity and a lot more information, Isis must decide what to tell the other members of the cult.

Literary significance & criticism

Like many of Banks' characters, from Frank Cauldhame in The Wasp Factory to Prentice McHoan in The Crow Road, Isis is a character in a half-unconscious search for knowledge which will inevitably turn her world upside down (this type of novel is sometimes called a 'Bildungsroman'). For the record label, see Wasp Factory Recordings The Wasp Factory was the first novel by Scottish writer Iain Banks. ... The Crow Road is a novel by the Scottish writer Iain Banks, published in 1992. ... A bildungsroman (IPA: /, German: novel of education or novel of formation) is a novel which traces the spiritual, moral, psychological, or social development and growth of the main character from (usually) childhood to maturity. ...

The cult is dealt with very sympathetically, especially coming just after the Waco Siege in 1993; Banks ensures the theology that Isis believes fervently in at the start of the book, is coherently and cleverly put together, even as events cause her to start to doubt. The Mount Carmel compound in flames during the final assault On February 28, 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) raided the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel, a property located nine miles east-northeast of Waco, Texas. ...

Banks has called it:

'a book about religion and culture written by a dedicated evangelical atheist - I thought I was very kind to them...Essentially, Isis makes the recognition that the value of the Luskentyrian cult is in their community values rather than their religious ones. She recognises that efficiency isn't everything, that people not profit are what matters.'

Trivia

The British Army number 954024 briefly mentioned later in the book is actually that of Spike Milligan. Terence Alan Milligan, KBE, (16 April 1918–27 February 2002), known as Spike Milligan, was an Irish writer, artist, musician, humanitarian, comedian, and poet. ...

External links

• Spike Magazine review
• Review
• Simon McLeish review
• Review

Bibliography

Whit, Iain Banks, London : Abacus, 1995, ISBN 0-349-10768-8