The Crow Road: Book summary and reviews of The Crow Road by Iain Banks

The Crow Road Summary

"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."

So begins Iain Banks' The Crow Road, the tale of Prentice McHoan and his complex but enduring Scottish family. Prentice, preoccupied with thoughts of sex, death, booze, drugs, and God, has returned to his home village of Gallanach full of questions about the McHoan past, present, and future.

When his beloved Uncle Rory disappears, Prentice becomes obsessed with the papers Rory left behind — the notes and sketches for a book called The Crow Road. With the help of an old friend, Prentice sets out to solve the mystery of his uncle’s disappearance, inadvertently confronting the McHoans’ long association with tragedy — an association that includes his sister’s fatal car crash and his father’s dramatic death by lightning.

The Crow Road is a coming-of-age story as only Iain Banks could write — an arresting combination of dark humor, menace, and thought-provoking meditations on the nature of love, mortality, and identity.

The Crow Road Reviews

"Riveting ... exhilarating ... its pace, development, intensity and, above all, its hip and sexy humour never allow it to flag. With The Crow Road, Banks reinforces his credentials as one of the most able, energetic and stimulating writers we have in the UK." - Time Out.

"Beginning with a bang and ending with an exclamation mark ... the enfant explosif of the Brit pack." - Scotland on Sunday.

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The Crow Road Reader Reviews

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Rated of 5 by Nicole
A moving family drama
This was a moving family drama with complex characters and an intricate story line. Told in flashback, the story unfolds in pieces and sometimes the author make you work to understand but it is a a rewarding and interesting read. From the feisty grandmother to the inquisitive main character, Prentice, I loved getting to know the characters.A dark mix of tragedy and humor keep you interested until the end.

Rated of 5 by Rhonda
The Crow Road
The book, Crow Road was the first book that I have read by author Iain Banks. After I figured out what the author was doing with the shifting in and out of generations, I really was able to enjoy piecing together information about the story. This generational shifting was successful only because the author was so good at breathing life into his characters. I think some of the humor of the book was lost on me because I am simply not up on British vocabulary, with words such as bridies and Haggisburgers. Would I recommend this to a friend? You bet I would. I thought it was excellent writing and glad that his thread of mystery did not end up consuming the more important issues such as family (it is nice to know that Scotland is about as dysfunctional as the rest of us), religion, and the meaning of life.

Rated of 5 by Jerry
The Crow Road
This book is a coming-of-age novel. The main character and narrator of much of the book is a college student possibly in his early twenties undergoing a difficult transition to adulthood. Members of three generations of his family also play significant roles in the book.

I enjoyed the book. Some parts of it are hilarious and others are tragic. The writing is excellent and the characters are very real. I recommend a reader take his/her time to read it, just like sipping a fine wine.

I was confused in the beginning as the author abruptly shifted backward and forward in time to other characters in a different generation. I adjusted to this after about 50 pages. Since the book was a British edition, there were Scottish words I did not understand so I spent some time in the dictionary to understand some of the words. I assume much of this will be translated in the U.S. edition. Similarly, since I have never been to southern Scotland, I studied my world atlas so I could locate where the towns in the story were located.

I will read other books by this author since it was a pleasure to read this book.

Rated of 5 by Julie
The Crow Road
When I dive into a novel, I want to be enveloped in its world, every sense engaged. I want the author to lead me by the hand, whispering into my ear. If this is you, too, you'll like The Crow Road by Iain Banks. Many and varied characters, connected in different ways over the years, a passionate main character coming of age in contemporary Scotland, just different enough from the American experience to be intriguing but not unfamiliar. Banks also writes science fiction, as Iain M. Banks, and there is a little touch of fancy, or magical realism in this novel, too. It's a little late for a beach read, but perfect to curl up with by the fire this winter.

Rated of 5 by William
The Crow Road
A wonderful story filled with characters the reader can care about.
Wildly funny at times, tragic and serious at others, this book deserves a second reading. I have read many books over the last year. This one has been the most enjoyable.

Rated of 5 by Dana
The Crow Road
I have never read Iain Banks and at first had a difficult time with the Scottish dialect. I found myself having to go back and reread sections to be sure I really understood what it meant.

I admit I found the book slow going and a challenge, but it was full of interesting personalities, family interactions and a very descriptive writing style.

...9 more reader reviews

Iain Banks Author Biography

Iain (Menzies) Banks was born in Fife in 1954, and was educated at Stirling University, where he studied English Literature, Philosophy and Psychology.

Banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, The Wasp Factory, in 1984.

His first science fiction novel, Consider Phlebas, was published in 1987. He has continued to write both mainstream fiction (as Iain Banks) and science fiction (as Iain M. Banks).

He is now acclaimed as one of the most powerful, innovative and exciting writers of his generation: The Guardian has called him "the standard by which the rest of SF is judged". William Gibson, the New York Times-bestselling author of Spook Country...

... Full Biography

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