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A review by mambo
Stonemouth by Iain Banks
3.0
The first novel I’ve written from Banks (including Iain M. Banks) and I did enjoy it! It’s definitely a slow burn but I think one that becomes really cinematic as Banks is so generous with his visuals we’re able to set the scenes well for a series of increasingly awakened an intense interactions in Stonemouth.
I love his use of dialect, even between characters this is such a great way to world build and identify friendships and tones of dialogue. The strength of this is within the ensemble characters. Stewart is a great narrator but honestly not a very real character. His motivations and intentions all seem slightly elusive and I found I couldn’t quite pin him down as the protagonist. It lead to feeling like some exchanges and actions were out of place for him, or that they weren’t making sense. The same goes for Ellie, who I found fairly distant throughout the novel and with these two as a romantic pairing? I couldn’t quite see it. It’s a shame because most all other character are well fleshed out - funny, flawed and endearing.
I love his use of dialect, even between characters this is such a great way to world build and identify friendships and tones of dialogue. The strength of this is within the ensemble characters. Stewart is a great narrator but honestly not a very real character. His motivations and intentions all seem slightly elusive and I found I couldn’t quite pin him down as the protagonist. It lead to feeling like some exchanges and actions were out of place for him, or that they weren’t making sense. The same goes for Ellie, who I found fairly distant throughout the novel and with these two as a romantic pairing? I couldn’t quite see it. It’s a shame because most all other character are well fleshed out - funny, flawed and endearing.