by Iain Banks
First published 1988
Frank is sixteen and lives with his father in isolation near a remote Scottish village. His mother left years ago. His older brother Eric stays locked in a psychiatric hospital. Frank's father displays extreme eccentricities that shape their unconventional daily existence. Frank channels his anger through violent acts and creates bizarre personal rituals that provide him comfort. When Eric escapes from the hospital, Frank must prepare for his brother's return. Eric's arrival shatters long-held secrets and transforms Frank completely. The story enters a mind that operates by different rules than ordinary society. Frank's perspective on life and death differs sharply from normal values. Yet humor and compassion emerge from his unusual worldview. Banks creates a character whose alien thinking somehow connects with universal human experiences.
Genres: fiction, 20th-century, suspense, adult-fiction, psychological-thriller, dark
Vibes: dark, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Scotland
Period: 20th-century
184 pages · Paperback · Futura Books
Content warnings: mental-illness