Stonemouth is a 2012 novel by Scottish author Iain Banks. The novel was published on 5 April 2012 by Little, Brown and Company and follows a man returning to a small seaport town after being forced to flee five years earlier. The Irish Times picked the book as one of their "Books to Read in 2012".[1]
 First edition | |
| Author | Iain Banks |
|---|---|
| Country | Scotland |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
Publication date | 5 April 2012 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 368 pp |
| ISBN | 1408702509 |
Plot summary
Stewart Gilmour returns to Stonemouth, a fictional seaport town north of Aberdeen, for a funeral. It is five years since he ran away to London after a sexual indiscretion at a wedding. Stonemouth is controlled by two rival gangs, the Murstons and the MacAvetts, and Gilmour was engaged to a member of the former clan before he had to leave.[2]
Reception
Critical reception for Stonemouth was mostly positive.[3][4] Some criticisms of the book included some of the references to modern technology being "unauthentic",[5] while praise for the novel centred on the plot's mystery.[6]
Adaptation
An adaptation for BBC Television was announced in 2014, starring Christian Cooke as Stewart Gilmour, with Peter Mullan, Sharon Small and Gary Lewis. Location filming[7] took place in Macduff, Aberdeenshire in November 2014. It premiered on 8 June 2015 on BBC One Scotland, and 11 June 2015 on BBC Two in the rest of the UK.[8]