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5.0étoiles sur 5
The Whit and Wisdom of Banks, Fév 12 2007
Iain Banks first novel, The Wasp Factory, was published in 1984. In the years since, he's won critical acclaim, topped best-seller lists and has even written Science Fiction books under the cunning nom-de-plume 'Iain M. Banks'. He's also seen this book, "The Crow Road", adapted for television by the BBC in 1996. "Whit" is his eighth non-sci-fi book, was first published in 1995 and comes with the subtitle "Isis Amongst the Unsaved".
The book's central character is Isis Whit, commonly called Is - though more formally known as Blessed or Beloved Isis. Isis is a Luskentyrian, a member of a religious sect founded by her grandfather, Salvador. Like him, she is very important to the faithful - she holds the position 'Elect of God' and is a future leader of the Luskentyrians. Home is High Easter Offerance - located in Scotland, on the banks of the River Forth. The book opens in May 1995, when Isis is nineteen years old and with the Festival of Love approaching. The Luskentyrians consider people born on the 29th of February very special - the Blessed Isis herself was born on that date. As a result, a Festival of Love is held every four years - at the end of May in the year preceding a Leap Year. As the end of May is nine months before the end of February and it is a Festival of Love, I'm sure you can figure out what happens at it...
Isis' cousin, Morag - while not strictly considered a missionary - has been living in London for six years. Based on her letters, it appears she has become a successful musician - an internationally renowned baryton soloist, no less. She had been due to return to High Easter Offerance for the festival, where she would have been the Guest of Honour. However, her most recent letter to the community includes the news that she has turned her back on her faith and will not be returning. One possible option was for Isis to take Morag's place as guest of Honour - something she wasn't entirely keen on. Instead, Isis is sent to London to try and rescue her cousin - the book tells the story of her journey and return.
This is only the second book by Banks I've read, the first being "The Crow Road". Like it, I found "Whit" to be very enjoyable. It's told entirely from Isis' point of view - she describes her journey, outlines her discoveries, explains her beliefs and tells the history of her sect. Luskentyrians avoid modern technology as far as possible - nothing at High Easter Offerance runs on electricity, for example. It's amusing, at times, to see her reaction to life in the 'modern' world. There are several very strong supporting characters - Yolanda, Isis' very colourful and hugely entertaining Texan grandmother, particularly stands out. The only disappointment is that some of them didn't make a bigger appearance. Highly recommended !
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5.0étoiles sur 5
Quietly excellent, Avril 9 2003
Apparently this isn't one of his more popular books, for reasons I can only speculate . . . in his other wildly criticized work (Canal Dreams) it's fairly obvious what the problems are and your tolerance for those problems is what will make or break the book . . . here any problems aren't quite clear and frankly I don't see any. The book isn't as "shocking" as other Banks book have been, either through the perverse or violent or whatever, but I don't think that's something he's known for as much as those are aspects of some of his novels. It's also a lot longer (I think only Crow Road tops it in pages) than most of his stuff and not as "literary" in style. It's fairly straightforward on the surface, almost earnestly so. But you know what? I like it. The novel tells the story of nineteen year old Isis Whit, the Elect of a what basically is a Cult founded by her grandfather in the middle part of the century, based around peace and love and some other stuff. They have a Festival every four years and her cousin Morag, who is to be the guest of honor, writes a letter stating not only is she not showing up, but she's given up the faith. So Isis goes out to find her but it's not as simple as that and by the time she's done she'll have found out a lot of unpleasant things. Banks gets credit for depicting the cult followers are normal people who are just looking for Truth, so to speak, and coming across as wacky, but essentially levelheaded, as opposed to a bunch of brainwashed zombies. He also gets credit for his sympathetic and balanced portrayal of Isis, who is somewhat naive and very devout but he manages to make her charming instead of annoying, her religious faith is seen more of a natural extension of her instead of a brick she keeps hoisting on people. If there's any big problem with the book it's that the other characters are not as three dimensional as she is and some come off as a tad one-note. Banks alternates the story of Isis' search with the history of the Order itself, weaving in the story and amending it constantly as Isis starts to discover that not all is what it seems. It also provides a look at British life at the end of the 20th century through the eyes of someone who has kept herself mostly separate from that life. Throughout he throws the poor girl into all sorts of amusing situations and tosses out revelations that are not so amusing and I found it a fairly fast and witty read, rarely dragging and consistently entertaining throughout. Perhaps it's not as incisive as it could have been, but it's deftly told and the twists and revelations all work (ie they make sense but they aren't immediately obvious) . . . except the fact that the narrator is the member of a cult the book is about as straightforward as they come. Maybe that turns people off from it. I don't know. I, for one, would recommend it to any Banks fan, it may not singlehandedly propel him to the ranks of the literary masters but it doesn't detract from his status as one of the finest contemporary novelists or otherwise take away from the fine work he's already done. This is merely an above average addition to an already distinguished body of work. No more no less.
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5.0étoiles sur 5
Banks can make almost anything interesting, Mars 24 2003
I'm trying to catch up on Banks--I had four novels of his on my to-be-read shelf, and thought it time to get to them. I do not know why I was procrastinating, for Banks is one of my favorite authors.The general consensus about this book from the usual sources was that it was one of Banks' minor works, if not his worst since Canal Dreams, roundly despised by Banks fans. Personally, the one Banks novel that I have not cared for was The Bridge, and I suspect that my opinion of that book would change if I read it today. While I can not put Whit next to The Player of Games, Espedair Street, or The Crow Road as one of my favorites, I enjoyed this book much more than I expected given its reputation. The title refers to the last name of the main character, one she shares with several other characters in the book including her grandfather, Salvador Whit, the charismatic leader of the Luskenyter cult. One of the cult doctrines is the reverence for those born on Leap Day, and the Beloved Isis is a third generation Leapyearian. The cult is preparing for one of their special events, the Festival of Love, when they get a letter from Morag, Isis's cousin who is an international music soloist and the festival guest of honor, claiming that she is an apostate (i.e., no longer a cult believer) and will not be attending the Festival. Isis is elected to go among the Unsaved (thus the subtitle) to find Morag and bring her back into the fold. Isis starts off somewhat naive, it not as oblivious as Candide, at least as innocent. It is not hard to see that her growth as a character in this novel is to lose that naivete, to grow up and confront her faith, the world, and the "truth." I loved the endless revelations about the Cult and its background, and the plot had plenty of twists and turns that prevented you from predicting the outcome. If I had to quibble, though, it would have to be in the quick metamorphosis Isis goes through, from innocent and incredulous to world wise and tough. You get some glimpses--foreshadowing--that Isis is not just a waif, but the suddenness of the change is still a little jarring. I can see that this might not be everyone's cup of tea, the subplot regarding faith, trust, and truth appealed to me. Banks is brave to have a main character who is not only religious, but not a follower of a major denomination or belief. I'm convinced the guy could make almost anybody appealing.
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