Canal Dreams

Style and Technique

In «Canal Dreams», Ian Banks’s narrative style is marked by refined layering and subtle psychological insight. The language of the novel is rich in metaphors and imagery that reflect the tense atmosphere of isolation and the heroine’s inner struggle. Banks skillfully contrasts the outward stillness of events with the inner dynamism of emotion, creating a tense, almost cinematic mood. The structure alternates between memories and the present, allowing the author to gradually reveal the heroine’s past and her inner demons. Literary devices—flashbacks, the symbolism of water and music, and a delicate play with the rhythm of narration—lend the text special depth and poetry, turning the novel into a complex canvas where every stroke is filled with meaning and emotion.