Canal Dreams (1989)

Iain Banks is a favorite of mine, and I enjoyed this book but the story seems not to have the bite and depth of most of his work. ( )

My choice from the Alphabet VBB.

This had an interesting central character but failed to fully engage me. The personal story and development of Hisako was well done, but didn't seem to mesh with the thriller type hijacking plot. Intellectually but not emotionally engaging. ( )

World famous cellist Hisako Onoda is terrified of flying. Building her career on recordings and performances in her native Japan, her manager has now finally talked her into doing an extensive European tour. Hisako’s condition is that she goes to Europe by boat. As a passenger on a tanker however, going through the Panama canal, she gets caught up in the country’s political instability. Due to the rebellion of the leftist venceristas, ships are unable to go safely through the canal, and violent riots in the capital make it dangerous to go back there. Hers and two other ships are forced to wait out the unrest in lake Gatún. The few passengers and many crew of the three ships are in a sort of limbo, spending their days with dinner parties and scuba diving, while frantic international efforts are made to solve this tense clogging of one of the most important routes in the world.

Of course the ships are taken over by armed men one night. And of course things turn extremely ugly.

It’s pretty interesting what Banks is trying to do here, taking the action film cliché of the lone avenger and telling it as a real story happening to real people. Hisako’s inner journey is interesting to follow, as we descend with her into blind, numb determination. The result is a brutal book indeed – there’s nothing gratifying or liberating about the violence here. I think Banks should also be given credit for being among the very few male authors who often chooses to write female protagonists. I of course have no idea how believable Hisako is to a (Japanese) woman reading her story, but Banks feels very comfortable in giving her voice. It’s sad that this should be such a rare thing.

Iain Banks (with or without M.) is probably my favourite hit-and-miss writer. When he’s good, he’s brilliant. Unfortunately, this book, like several others by him, has a great premise but suffers from lack of dramaturgy. The episodes from Hisako’s past, while often fascinating and moving in themselves, never have any relevance in the book’s present. They remain isolated events, unconnected glimpses. And the ending is blunt and lacking conclusion, making the whole book feel just a little speculative. ( )

A gripping novel, but be warned, it is gruesome! ( )