I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was on the whole well written and it takes the reader back through the past of the main character, Alban, in drips and drabs, which I found immensely enjoyable. I think I connected with this book as a lot of the themes in it I could personally relate too and I felt an affinity with Alban and his somewhat adolescent feelings and approach to life. The only downside was when the character of Tango appeared, he spoke in the first person and it somewhat distracted from the flow of the narrative. Also Bank's political views at the time are reflected into Alban's diatribes, which can become off putting. This is only the second Iain Banks book I have read, so it is hard for me to compare it to his other work but I certainly found it more engaging than the Wasp factory, I would recommend this book to anyone who hasnt sampked that much of Bank's work as a great introduction to atalented writer.