Whit (novel)
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Iain Banks |
| Products | Book |
Whit, or, Isis among the Unsaved is a 1995 novel penned by Scottish writer Iain Banks. The narrative follows Isis Whit, an influential figure within a small Scottish religious sect, as she sets out to locate her cousin Morag, who is thought to have left their community.
Plot summary
Isis, whose full title is The Blessed Very Reverend Gaia-Marie Isis Saraswati Minerva Mirza Whit of Luskentyre, is a 19-year-old appointed spiritual successor to Salvador Whit, the leader of the Luskentyrian cult. This sect inhabits a commune in Stirlingshire, shunning much of modern technology and embracing doctrines revealed to Salvador after he was found washed ashore on Harris in the Western Isles. Their distinctive lifestyle includes marrying two British Asian women and adopting unique customs such as featuring haggis pakora in their diet.
The narrative opens shortly before the Luskentyrian Festival of Love, an event held every four years just prior to leap day (February 29). The cult holds that individuals born on leap day possess extraordinary abilities—Isis herself is one of these Elect of God and is anticipated to become the next leader.
The plot revolves around Isis’s travels across Scotland and southern England among those outside her sect, referred to as "the Unsaved"—derogatorily called "the Obtuse," "the Wretched," or "the Asleep." During her quest to find Morag, she encounters various groups such as Rastafarians, law enforcement officers, and white supremacist skinheads, which broadens her understanding of society beyond her insular upbringing and prompts reflection on her cult’s beliefs.
Isis receives assistance from her resolute Texan grandmother Yolanda and maintains contact with her close companion Sophi, who supports her through the cult’s laborious yet cost-free telephone system that employs coded rings.
Upon returning with increased wisdom and maturity, Isis must decide how best to convey her newfound insights to the Luskentyrians.
Literary significance and criticism
In common with numerous characters created by Banks—ranging from Frank Cauldhame in The Wasp Factory to Prentice McHoan in The Crow Road—Isis undertakes a semi-conscious quest for knowledge that challenges her existing worldview. Consequently, this work serves as a Bildungsroman.
Banks offers a nuanced portrayal of the cult, especially notable given the novel’s publication soon after the Waco Siege of 1993 (an event alluded to by Yolanda). He ensures that the Luskentyrian theology, initially embraced by Isis, remains logically consistent even as her conviction diminishes.
Banks described the novel as:
a story about religion and culture authored by a committed evangelical atheist – I believed I treated them with considerable fairness... Fundamentally, Isis comes to see that the true worth of the Luskentyrian cult lies in its sense of community rather than its religious aspects. She realizes that people are more important than profit or efficiency.
External links
Bibliography
- Whit, Iain Banks, London: Abacus, 1995