The Crow Road by Iain M. Banks

The Crow Road by Iain M. Banks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was the day my grandmother exploded.

Now that has to be my favourite opening sentence of any book, ever. It introduces a sprawling saga of three generations of a Scottish family, weaving snapshots and scenes from a history spanning fifty years or so, showing how secrets are concealed and uncovered by the passing of time. It has a large cast, with the nominal protagonist young Prentice McHoan unpicking the mystery of the disappearance of his uncle Rory whilst simultaneously tackling the eternal mysteries of life, love and death.

Whilst being an ostensible mystery, this book has deeper and darker themes at its heart. Death is a recurring motif, although this is death not as a cosmic grim reaper acting to some implacable set of rules when choosing his victims, but rather it is death as the unexpected but inevitable, random and often messy result of life. There is also considerable optimism and joy to be found too, usually when it is not being looked for. Yes, our fragile human lives are complex, screwed up and tragic, but there are also stories to tell, new life to create and love (and whiskey) to share.

If you haven't read this book, then you really should. Seriously.

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