The Business

The Business is the 1990s success story run riot. The eponymous organisation is ancient, rich and invisible. All it lacks is a certain political clout, something the Business has avoided for centuries but with which it is now beginning to toy. A seat in the UN is at stake as Kate Telman, Level 3 executive, is drawn into the (rather polite) machinations of her superiors. Those expecting John Grisham may be disappointed. No bad thing, perhaps: Kate's personal-professional life-- there is, of course, no conflict here for the successful individual of the 1990s--is the main concern. Banks' interest is in the moral debates about the position of the Business in a world it finds easy to manipulate, drawing the reader into a discussion of the place of the multi-national in contemporary economic and cultural life. "A lot of successful people are less hard-hearted than they like to think": is one view put forward, and not the only romantic but equivocal sentiment hiding somewhere in The Business. --John Shire

Reader Reviews:

Iain's Stinker (0/0 people found this helpful)

I'm glad I've read the other reviews here, particularly those that don't rate this book. I am only at chapter 4 and was wondering whether to proceed any further. I won't bother. This is an absolute stinker. Nothing happens. Life's too short for this nonsense. I unearthed a load of Banks' books during a move to a new house, so I guess it's 'sell this' and move onto another...

How Can Such a Great Writer Produce Such a Dull Book? (0/0 people found this helpful)

One of the many things I like and respect about Iain Banks, besides the trademark darkness of his work, is his sheer versatility when it comes to crafting a novel. None of his general fiction ever feels like something you've read before, seeing as he tends to avoid specialising in one particular theme or type of plot and the characters and settings tend to be completely new ones.

So far I'd read "Complicity", "Complicity" "Canal Dreams" and "The Crow Road" (my favourite Banksy one so far) and thought they were great. But after 85 pages of "The Business" I'd had enough and never bothered to finish it. For all the description in the novel, nothing actually appeared to be happening; the executive, who's the narrator of the story, travelled from place to place for no apparent reason, and events - that's if there were any - weren't carried any further forward by the dialogue either.

Perhaps you may find this review a little unfair because I never read it till the end, but to do so felt like a total waste of time. The reviews on the back of the book had me fooled. "The Business" was mostly certainly not the business as they had suggested it was.

A netsuke monkey and a twelve sided thruppeny bit (0/1 people found this helpful)

Iain Banks was born in Scotland in 1954 and published his first book - "The Wasp Factory" - in 1984. In the years since, he's won critical acclaim, topped best-seller lists and has even written Science Fiction books under the cunning nom-de-plume 'Iain M. Banks'. "The Business" was first published in 1999, and is his tenth non sci-fi book.

The origins of the Business predate Christianity, and it - technically - owned the Roman Empire for an exceptionally short spell. (It turned out to be something of a mistake, and is considered to be the Business' most public mistake). The world headquarters re at Chateau d'Oex, in Switzerland, where there are - allegedly - some rather interesting items in their vaults. (These are rumoured to include a book that might just have made it into the Bible and some rather erotic doodlings sketched by Michelangelo). Although the Business has 'understandings' with several states and regimes, it is now planning to 'buy' its own country - allowing for a seat on the United Nations and diplomatic immunity for its senior executives. Officially, the country being considered if Fenua Uans, a small island in the Pacific.

Kate Telman is senior executive officer, third level with the Business. She started with Security, though has been keeping an eye on technology trends in recent years - luckily, her suggestions on where to invest have been paying off significantly. (As a result, she reached Level Three a good deal more quickly than she had dared hope). Kate is thirty eight years old and was born in Scotland, but holds joint British - US citizenship. Although she is currently on sabbatical, she has been with the organisation since she left school. She had been effectively groomed for the Business by Elizabeth Telman since childhood, following a chance meeting on the roadside in 1968. Elizabeth adopted Kate after her natural mother died, four years later. Now, with Elizabeth also dead, Freddy Ferrindonald is the closest thing to family she has left. Freddy, a step-brother of Elizabeth's, is also a high-ranking Business employee, not to mention exceptionally rich and just a little odd. He lives at Blysecrag House, which might just qualify as a stately home. (It has three hundred rooms and its cellars extend for two miles). The pair certainly get on very well together, and Kate admits to being very fond of Freddy.

Blysecrag is soon to be playing host to a very high-level meeting and some general hedonism - Kate is rather excited (and relieved) to have been invited. Unffortunately, Prince Suvinder Dzung from Thulan will also be among the other guests. Suvinder is a noted admirer of Kate's, but the admiration is entirely one way. Kate prefers Stephen Buzetski, another Business executive - unfortunately, he is proving to be stubbornly loyal to his wife. Events at Blysecrag lead to Kate doing a little more travelling and attending a few more meetings - leading to an offer she never seriously expected and didn't necessarily want. However, as time goes by, she becomes increasingly suspicious that the more senior executives are not being entirely straight about things...

Generally, I've found if a book has the name "Iain Banks" on the cover it's well worth reading. "The Crow Road" and "Whit" would both safely be included in my "10 Favourite Books of All Time", while "Canal Dreams" and "The Wasp Factory" would probably be knocking loudly on the door. In all those books, Banks has developed a strong 'lead' character whose past has contributed as much to the book as the 'current' events of the story. In comparison, "The Business" is a little weak : Kate's past isn't developed in the way Prentice McHoan's or Frank Cauldhame's are developed, while the story's 'current' events - meetings, parties and sightseeing - aren't quite as absorbing as the events of "Whit" and "Canal Dreams". However, "The Business" is still an Iain Banks book : even on an off-day, he'll tell a story a good deal more readable and a great deal more enjoyable than your average writer is capable of producing.

Certainly NOT the business... (0/2 people found this helpful)

Well written, good characters, but to be frank: simply not worth the effort. If this was a movie, I would advise you to wait until it came out on free TV.

Banks best book (1/5 people found this helpful)

This is his best work. It presents a entirely credible world, set within ours. It is only a slight stretch of the imagination to believe that there is an such a 'business' in existence. An excellent and gripping read that, unlike so much junk out there, is thought provoking.

Iain Banks

Editorial Review: