"The
Bridge" by Iain Banks"The
Bridge" by Iain Banks
"The Bridge" offers few early clues as to what its storyline will be. It begins with the confusion and disorientation that attends the victim of a road accident. On my first reading, I was granted a visceral understanding of the emotional context of this novel - I was at that time recovering from a serious motorcycle accident. I understand that this sort of thing occurs often amongst fans of Iain Banks, that is to say that the reader enjoys a ready identification with the plight of the protagonist.
From the very start, the reader is provided with conflicting information as to what the story is be about and where it might lead. Early on, regular re-evaluation as to what is actually happening is required, until the reader is left to throw caution to the wind and allow the "stream of consciousness" effect to carry him/her away. Dreams within dreams and highly ambiguous reality are the order of the day.
The world of "The Bridge" is an intriguing place of inconsistency and incomprehension. The internal logic of this world is fascinating, sharing many parallels with "reality", but providing peculiar twists that seem either comically absurd or frustratingly inconsistent. Indeed, parallels and dreams are the twin themes that provide the backbone to this quirky, amusing and extraordinarily engrossing novel.
There are many times during "The Bridge" that the reader feels himself on the threshold of discovery. When a particular connection is made between linked ideas, there is a sense of reward for the reader, as in the sharing of a private joke. There are so many of these ironies and connections that I am under no illusion of being anywhere near having caught most of them, even after several readings. Some of the linkages are quite sophisticated - situations may be linked, with the dream sequence representing the reality, but the imagery is based upon a yet another idea. An example of this is the image seen in the world of the Bridge of a man lying in a hospital bed. The imagery is most likely based upon the plight of a character called "Gustave", but the reality is that this figure is the protagonist himself, in the "real world". I am not usually one to enjoy heavily convoluted and overly self-referential tales, but the author has weighted things here just right for me. Banks also shows an uncanny instinct in his grasp of the way the unconscious mind appears to work. At least, his viewpoint closely matches my own personal experience.
At times, Banks darkens the atmosphere with some of his almost trademark descriptions of cruelty and inhumanity. At other moments, examples of a true wit and sense of humour shine through, whether it is the description of Berkeley's mental health problem or the hilarious "Barbarian" sequences - "I luv the dead" makes me curl up laughing even now.
Whilst I must admit that there is little meaning in the novel in terms of "The Human Condition" that might be termed "poignant", there is much to amuse and divert the reader and also to provide food for thought. The Bridge is a delightfully convoluted and involving piece of work. Each successive reading of it brings me insight and awareness of a new paradox or quirk in the story. An extraordinary book by an extraordinary author.
Loznik
28 October 1998