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Iain M. Banks
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Whit, or Isis amongst the unsaved Hardcover – January 1, 1995

by Iain Banks (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 424 ratings
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Isis Whit is no ordinary teenager. An innocent in the ways of the world, an ingenue when it comes to fashion, she does however rejoice in some neat healing powers, a way with animals and the exalted status of Elect of God of the Luskentyrian Sect. Part of the 1995 Scottish Book Fortnight promotion.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Little Brown
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1995
  5. ISBN-10
    0316914363
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0316914369
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little Brown; First Edition (January 1, 1995)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316914363
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316914369
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.93 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 424 ratings

About the author

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Iain M. Banks

Iain M. Banks

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Iain Banks (1954-2013) came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, The Wasp Factory, in 1984. Consider Phlebas, his first science fiction novel, was published under the name Iain M. Banks in 1987 and began his celebrated ten-book Culture series. He is acclaimed as one of the most powerful, innovative and exciting writers of his generation.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
424 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

DJM
5.0 out of 5 stars Read Whit
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2013
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I feel as if I should go about with a backward-buttoned shirt to identify myself as an avid Banks reader. From Whit I carry with me more enduring moments of characters, ideas and imagery like small, precious gifts - my pockets are brimming with them from each Iain Banks novel I read.
One person found this helpful
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Dave Richardson
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2016
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Not his best but still great.
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A. Harrison
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2014
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brilliant as always
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Joop
3.0 out of 5 stars Satire or not
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2014
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The books is very funny at times and then is clearly satirical. On the whole, I have the feeling that this book was not meant to be satirical, but that Banks couldn't help himself writing about a religious sect.
All in all a good read by the, alas, late author with, as always in his book a positive ending.
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Craobh Rua
4.0 out of 5 stars The Whit and Wisdom of Banks
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2004
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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DAVID BRYSON
5.0 out of 5 stars PENDICLES OF COLLYMOON
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2006
There are far too many novelists and novels in my own opinion. I started this one years ago and quickly gave up. However my curiosity was reawakened when the author came out the victor in not one but two upmarket quiz programmes a few days ago, so I tried again. It was worth it: this book improves as it goes along. I still think there is a certain amount of padding here and there. The reference to Scottish dishes with an Asian flavour - haggis vindaloo, tandoori stovies or some such - was amusing the first time, but the list on p201/2 in this edition is blatant word-spinning. The second paragraph on p176 is the kind of verbiage that articulate people fall into when their concentration is slipping. The incident of the attempted rape near the disused railway bridge is out of context - this part of the story is not about the narrator's experiences but about the locality, and it highlights an interesting aspect of the content of the book.

Banks is obviously fascinated by his (and my) native Scotland. The dilapidated railway bridge near the headquarters of the religious cult that is the central theme of the story was part of a line from Balloch to Stirling, as unlikely a route as was ever laid in the railway mania. I was intensely interested in what Banks told me about it, and to return the favour I can inform him that it made its junction with the line to Perth not at Bridge of Allan but at Stirling itself. I think Banks just loves saying `Gargunnock' and `Kippen' to judge by how often he mentions these villages, and he leaves us in no doubt of his fascination with the Pendicles of Collymoon just for its name. The setting is largely rural central Scotland with flashbacks to the Western Isles. The narrator also makes an Odyssey to London, Essex and the West Country in pursuit of a renegade cousin, and the patois of Glasgow and Essex, as well as the Texan grandmother's idiom and attitudes, are all reproduced with an acute ear for the way such speakers really sound. The scene-setting is really rather brilliant. Obviously there is no point in looking for realism in a totally fictional religious cult, but it gets more convincing as one becomes used to it. This is a work of imagination, but my attention was well and truly held by the truthfulness of the depiction of the London squat, the vendors of the racist newspaper and the various drivers with whom the narrator hitches a lift, even if there's just a suspicion that Banks is spinning the last of these out.

The book is full of wry humour, and very well put together after the opening chapters. The adolescent narrator gets through a lot of growing up in not many years, but the process is neither ridiculous nor squalid, both of which can be said about what happens to Richard Adams's poor Maia. Some of the writing is very good indeed, like the end of chapter fourteen, and some of the jokes are very good too, like the one about the IRS on p232. It would probably be wrong to pigeonhole this novel into some particular genre, but what it turns into more and more as the narrative progresses is really a detective story. What is really going on in this odd religious sect and what are some of its members really doing? Where did the narrator's grandfather come from originally? These issues are actually more central to the book than the whereabouts and exploits of the elusive cousin, which the story purports to be to start with but which turns into a clever entrée into more interesting sub-plots.

I found it very absorbing and very original as well as very clever and skilful. I read it as entertainment, fairly light in tone rather than `exploring issues', and I had finished it sooner than I expected to. One side-benefit to me was that it awakened a strong desire to explore a part of my native country that I have seen very little of. The area crossed by the sad little railway from Balloch to Stirling is of outstanding beauty by anyone's reckoning. If anyone reading this notice gets to the Pendicles of Collymoon before I do and can tell me more about it than I have just found out on the internet I shall be more than interested to hear.
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Top reviews from other countries

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P. H. Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars Apology !!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 20, 2013
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World of Books originally sent me a paperback version of the book , I wrote to them asking for a replacement and as I didn't get a reply I left poor feedback after 4 days or so of waiting . Today on the 20 / 7 2013 I've received the hardback copy and I owe WOB a HUGE APOLOGY , I'M SO SORRY FOR LEAVING POOR FEEDBACK . !!1
If I could remove it , I would be obliged .
The book that came today is BRILLIANT , THANK YOU , WOB !!
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Abby Normal
4.0 out of 5 stars Im Anfang war das Wort
Reviewed in Germany on July 7, 2008
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Whit ist wahrscheinlich nicht Iain Banks' bestes Buch. Aber es hat seine Stärken und sehr gute Momente.

Zwar dauert es recht lange, bis die Geschichte in Schwung kommt. Am Anfang beschreibt die Erzählerin fast zu ausführlich das einfache Sektenleben auf dem Land, gänzlich ohne Elektrizität und nur mit einfachster Technik. Aber wenn Isis ihre Kommune verlässt, um ihre Cousine zu suchen, gewinnt das Buch zunehmend an Humor und Spannung.

Dieser Teil der Geschichte erinnert ein kleines bisschen an Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles. Isis lernt in London so viele Sachen kennen, von denen sie bisher keinerlei Ahnung hatte. Sie nähert sich den Problemen auf erfrischend naive, bestechend logische Art.

Doch auch in einer Sekte, fern ab der modernen Zivilisation, gibt es Betrug und Verschwörung. Kaum ist Isis, die Auserwählte mit besonderen Fähigkeiten, auf Reise, schon versucht irgendjemand, ihren Ruf zu schädigen und ihr den Platz als Nachfolger des Sektengründers streitig zu machen. Nur wer? Und warum? Auch wenn es zwischendurch nicht immer danach aussieht - am Ende laufen alle Fäden zusammen und Banks wartet mit einem Ende auf, das keine Fragen offen lässt.

Mit diesem Buch mag es Iain Bank etwas ruhiger angehen als gewohnt. Doch auch hier finden sich alle Elemente wieder, die seine Bücher ausmachen. Teilweise schockierend und provozierend. Letztendlich besticht dieses Buch duch seine einzigartige Erzählweise. Eine unbedarfte junge Frau im Großstadtgetümmel der heutigen Zeit, gespickt mir feinem, intelligentem Humor und einer Prise selbstgemachter Religion.
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eddiej49
4.0 out of 5 stars Slow but very interesting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2017
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An interesting story about a cult religion but with flaws and as always someone trying to take advantage. It is an interesting lead character, Isis, who is gentle but nobody's fool. She has a clear view of what she should do and when faced with an accusation she is upset but uses her clear thinking to resolve the situation through investigation, research and a clear mind. She knows where she wants to finish and without hold a grudge brings the bad characters to account. A slow moving story but knowing the area where the story is set it is an interesting read.
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travelling reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Lough-out-loud and witty - brilliant!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2011
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I came across this Banks novel by chance (for the Kindle), and enjoyed every page of it. Very funny, sarcastic but not mean. I agree with other reviews, the synopsis does not do the book much justice. I really like many other of Banks' novels, but this one was a nice change to his SciFi and I was surprised about the storyline.
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Suzie
3.0 out of 5 stars Ok if you like slapstick comedy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2020
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The number of 5 star reviews are surprising. I found it mildly amusing but not as witty as it’s purported to be. The ludicrous practices of the cult give the story an air of ridiculousness rather than wittiness. The first 200 pages are slow and an overly drawn out build up to the second half when, in my opinion, the story truly begins and becomes more interesting. But even then, I felt the mystery was heavily signposted. As an indictment on cults, it has a comment. to make but nothing revelatory. We read this for our book club and it was generally not liked.
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