Banana Pier is a pacy and disturbing novel set in the final frenzied days of Soviet communism in which fiction collides with fact. Moral ambiguities which underpin our society are revealed in a story of complex characters and unexpected links between Scotland, the Soviet Union and Northern Ireland, where global players are seen in their domestic settings and where some dialogue is in the Aberdeen dialect, Doric. It opens with a confused and obsessive tirade from Tommy MacHardy in conversation with journalist Ian Ross, who is investigating covert military activities in Ulster involving Brigadier Bell of TAGOil. Ross is determined to reveal the British government's role in Northern Ireland and its infiltration of paramilitary groups but attracts the attention of local detectives DI Bonnie Young and DS Dave Millar on the case of blackmail at TAGOil. The action switches between Scotland and the USSR where former Gordon Highlander, Coulthard, is introduced to small-time criminals Zhdanov and Dolgoruky, recent associates of computer expert and artist Alexei Grigoryev. Coulthard is purchasing 'scrap' hardware from disillusioned Soviet military officers but where are the weapons headed - and what has Coulthard got to do with the UK government? A gripping novel that will appeal to fans of political thrillers, Banana Pier is inspired by some of Alex's favourite authors, including John le Carre, Henning Mankell and James Hogg, whose work The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner Alex's novel has been compared to.
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About the Author
Alex was born in the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands but lives in Aberdeenshire. A former History teacher, Alex researches and writes historical articles. Banana Pier is Alex's first novel and is the result of an eavesdropped conversation between oil executives and a fascination with politics.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This first novel is a thrilling, hypnotic and thought provoking production. Switching convincingly from Aberdeen to Belfast and Moscow, there is more than an undercurrent of rage against the inhumanity of the state machine (of whatever type) grinding on and protecting its perceived interests regardless of the human cost.
Sharp research, Doric vernacular, and clever plotting are turned into a work of real depth by the quality of the writing and the sense of place. Characters are multi layered, and identities are adopted, inherited and exploited to add a dark existential sense to what is much, much more than a 'run of the mill' thriller. Who do we trust? Where are our sympathies best applied in a post cold war landsape of change and uncertainty? Alex Chisolm poses some unsettling questions and challenges the preconceptions of the liberal reader. Great stuff, let's hope there is more to come from this startling new writer.
Sharp research, Doric vernacular, and clever plotting are turned into a work of real depth by the quality of the writing and the sense of place. Characters are multi layered, and identities are adopted, inherited and exploited to add a dark existential sense to what is much, much more than a 'run of the mill' thriller. Who do we trust? Where are our sympathies best applied in a post cold war landsape of change and uncertainty? Alex Chisolm poses some unsettling questions and challenges the preconceptions of the liberal reader. Great stuff, let's hope there is more to come from this startling new writer.
Format:Paperback
This is a very unusual book, the first chapter is written mainly in the Doric and whilst I am not from Aberdeen I understood every word.
The only bit that put me off was the flow of the Doric was spoilt with too many English words popping up.
The story is set in Russia and Aberdeen and having an interest in Russia I was familiar with many of the place names and one of the characters (Adam Menelaws) who features in the story.
The use of the Doric is a good one as it,like Russian is very expressive and reminded me of my visit to a number of museums in St. Petersburg where the audio guides you can hire have a translation,spoken in a very wimpish English accent.
I tried to explain to my Russian friends that A Scottish voice is what they should have as it would convey the pride and the passion that Russians have. Another reviewer makes a very good point that it is better read when time allows longers sessions rather than a few pages at a time.
The only bit that put me off was the flow of the Doric was spoilt with too many English words popping up.
The story is set in Russia and Aberdeen and having an interest in Russia I was familiar with many of the place names and one of the characters (Adam Menelaws) who features in the story.
The use of the Doric is a good one as it,like Russian is very expressive and reminded me of my visit to a number of museums in St. Petersburg where the audio guides you can hire have a translation,spoken in a very wimpish English accent.
I tried to explain to my Russian friends that A Scottish voice is what they should have as it would convey the pride and the passion that Russians have. Another reviewer makes a very good point that it is better read when time allows longers sessions rather than a few pages at a time.
By hb
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This was a real page turner. Set in Aberdeen and Russia with occasional flashbacks to Ireland and Germany the plot is fast paced and intricate. Not one to read as a few pages at a time, needs to be read in chunks to keep track of all the characters. I found the doric at the beginning a little hard to read at the start and I live in Aberdeen, but you get used to it after a few pages and there is less and less of it as the book progresses.
A very enjoyable read and hard to believe it is a first novel. Hope there is going to be another one.
A very enjoyable read and hard to believe it is a first novel. Hope there is going to be another one.
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