Complicity (novel)

Complicity is a novel published in 1993 by the Scottish writer Iain Banks.

Plot introduction

The narrative centers on Cameron Colley, a journalist employed by the Scottish newspaper The Caledonian (inspired by The Scotsman), alongside an unidentified serial murderer. The story alternates between Colley’s first-person narration and the killer’s perspective conveyed in the second person, offering a distinctive example of an unreliable narrator. The majority of the plot unfolds in and around Edinburgh.

Plot summary

Cameron Colley, an Edinburgh-based "Gonzo journalist", struggles with amphetamine addiction. His lifestyle includes heavy cigarette and cannabis use, frequent alcohol consumption, playing video games, and engaging in an extramarital relationship with a woman named Yvonne. Although he experiences remorse over his dependencies and misdeeds, his efforts to overcome them lack conviction.

He recalls witnessing the aftermath of the Gulf War’s 'Highway of Death' atrocity and covers the commissioning of HMS Vanguard, the United Kingdom’s inaugural Trident nuclear submarine.

Colley believes he has uncovered a major story after receiving anonymous tips about a series of enigmatic fatalities. However, an editorial he previously wrote—suggesting that certain capitalist and right-wing individuals would make more suitable targets for animosity than traditional ones—comes back to haunt him as those same figures begin to be killed in brutal and sadistic manners. The explicit portrayal of these murders forms a core element of the storyline.

As police suspicion mounts against him, Colley becomes increasingly involved when the identity of the murderer is disclosed. The novel closes on a grim note with Colley being diagnosed with lung cancer, a detail excluded from the film adaptation.

Literary significance and criticism

Banks characterized Complicity as "[a] bit like The Wasp Factory except without the happy ending and redeeming air of cheerfulness". The book’s exploration of themes such as violence and substance abuse, along with its bleak finale, mirror Banks’ developing pacifist beliefs. A notable feature is its extensive use of second-person narrative passages.

Parts of the story take place at Stirling University, reflecting Banks’ own academic background. The novel is dedicated to experimental author Ellis Sharp.

Film adaptation

In 2000, a film adaptation titled Complicity was released; it is also known under the alternative title Retribution in some regions.

Bibliography

Complicity, Iain Banks, Little, Brown and Company 1993,
Iain Banks's Complicity: A Reader's Guide, Cairns Craig, Continuum International Publishing Group 2002,
An excerpt named Under Ice was featured in the Spring 1993 issue of Granta (#43) Best of Young British Novelists 2, .

External links