by Iain Banks
First published 1992
Prentice McHoan sits in a crematorium listening to his Uncle Hamish snore through Bach's Mass in B Minor. His grandmother has just exploded, literally, and death has drawn him back to Gallanach once again. The McHoan family proves as complex and enduring as ever, full of secrets that span generations. Prentice arrives armed with questions about his family's past, present, and future. But his mind wanders constantly to bigger preoccupations that consume him: death, sex, drink, God, and illegal substances. As he navigates the familiar chaos of his Scottish relatives, Prentice must confront both family mysteries and his own restless obsessions. The return home forces him to examine what binds the McHoans together and what might tear them apart.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, introspective, return-home
Setting: Gallanach, Scotland
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
501 pages · Paperback · Abacus