Iain Banks' daring new novel opens in a loft apartment in the East End, in a for
mer factory due to be knocked down in a few days. Ken Nott is a devoutly contrar
ian vaguely left wing radio shock-jock living in London. After a wedding breakfa
st people start dropping fruits from a balcony on to a deserted carpark ten stor
eys below, then they start dropping other things; an old TV that doesn't work, a
blown loudspeaker, beanbags, other unwanted furniture...Then they get carried a
way and start dropping things that are still working, while wrecking the rest of
the apartment.
But mobile phones start ringing and they're told to turn on a
TV, because a plane has just crashed into the World Trade Centre...At ease with
the volatility of modernity, Iain Banks is also our most accomplished literary
writer of narrative-driven adventure stories that never ignore the injustices an
d moral conundrums of the real world. His new novel, displays his trademark dark
wit, buoyancy and momentum.
