The Business

I'm continuing my Iain Banks reading with The Business. I disliked this more than the previous. I'm interested in reading The Wasp and will hit MLK when I return from holidays to check that out. His Sci-Fi interests me much more than his dystopian fiction or whatever one calls these books. This novel contained way too much non-essential descriptive prose ("I listened to Alanis Morisette's Jagged Pill while on the plane.") Lots and lots of it. I also found the story somewhat irrelevant and the conclusion uninspired and unsatisfying. Sorry.

David Plante's loss

David Plante's The Pure Lover: A memoir of Grief was an elegant small volume of remembrances of love past. I liked how strongly he recalled his love for his partner and how vividly he wrote about intimacies and small moments. I think the sum of a life together is really the small moments; that is when a couple creates a thing, a oneness. Over time these shared moments become a thing to cherish or a pain in the ass. It's nice to read about this couple who really did love each other, or at least that is how Plante remembers it. Either way, it's a nice read.

Transitions

Iain M Banks' newest sci-fi is a "fable for the future"--hardly. It is actually a tale of modern mans' hatred and fear of intelligence. I stumbled on the incidental homophobia in the first 50 pages ("I'm not gay or anything; I'm totally normal.") but stayed with him to the thrilling conclusion. I really enjoyed the book. I am a huge fan of structure and enjoyed how he put the story together through various first person narrations. While I figure out fairly quickly who was who in the story it didn't diminish the pacing or the ultimate battle. While Iain Banks may consider homosexuality to be abnormal, I still enjoyed the book.