RMacD.com

How does Banks develop the character of Andy throughout Complicity in order to ensure that Andy is not considered to be in any way attributed to the series of deaths that take place?

Complicity was written by Iain Banks in 1993, and is set mainly in Edinburgh, as well as a number of other locations in Scotland. Banks claims that Complicity was written to 'let off steam' direct reaction to Thatcherism. As a result, the book boasts a very simple plot; a point of view on the backlash against corruption amongst the higher classes.

Notably, Complicity does not reveal the identity of the murderer until the very end, and it is the technique that Banks uses to keep the identity of the murderer hidden from the reader, specifically the development of Andy, that this essay will focus on.

An unusually graphical account of the murder of a high ranking aristocrat marks the beginning of the novel. However, Banks makes a point of not introducing the politically motivated murderer in any way, and continues develops the faceless character into a serial killer. This first short section is written in the second person, to help keep the identity of the killer completely hidden. This use of the second person features throughout the rest book, whenever an account is given from the murderer's point of view.

Generally, Complicity's tone is very informal, and often quite blunt. This tone helps to build what the reader believes to be a genuine profile of each of the characters, due to the fact that the reader knows that the book focuses on the difference between lower and higher classes.

"I head back to the hotel for a piss and a quick drink, another double…"

The main narrator of the story is Cameron Colley, who works as a newspaper columnist at the Scotsman. Cameron is introduced while he is protesting against the passing of nuclear ships in the Firth of Forth, and though he is unmarried, the reader soon realises that he is having an affair with the wife of one of his best friends, William. Overall, this introduction to Cameron as a rebel and a bit of a troublemaker is significant, as the story eventually develops in such a way as to point the blame of the murders to Cameron.

A substantial part of Cameron's narration is based on flashbacks, to when he was younger; it is in one oThursday, 25 October, 2007ant character of the book, Andy.

Cameron recalls a dream; "I'm thirteen years old and while I'm running I'm also looking at myself from outside… I wake up and the phone is ringing", followed by another flashback, of when he and Andy were children; "Andy was eleven, Claire ten, and I was nine. We were there for a ceremony… Andy grinned, putting an arm around her. 'Never Fear, Sis.'"

This introduction to Andy is very significant in his development, as he is introduced as a child. To the reader, this passage suggests that Andy is caring, and perhaps more importantly, innocent. Subconsciously, this sways the opinion of the reader throughout the rest of the novel, as the first and last impressions of a character are often the most memorable.

For a while, Complicity continues to switch between second person accounts of the murder of high ranking ex-Government officials, and the development of Cameron into a junkie and person of an idle lifestyle. However, at the beginning of the fourth chapter, Cameron talks to Andy directly for the first time, and by doing so, helps the reader understand the lifestyle of Andy by asking open ended questions.

"'Been doing anything exciting?' I ask him.
'Nothing much. Bit of fishing. Been up on the hill.'"

Andy's lifestyle is evidently in complete contrast to Cameron's; though Cameron seems to have plenty time on his hands to play computer games and spend time 'pubbing and clubbing,' Andy prefers to spend a great deal of time outside. This passage further develops Andy into a character that the reader respects and trusts, as well as a passage that develops Cameron into a character that does not deserve any respect.

The fifth chapter marks an important development for Cameron, as the police now consider him to be the prime suspect in the murders that have taken place. The reader is inclined to believe that Cameron is indeed the perpetrator of the crimes, which is perfectly feasible, due to the fact that no details have been given regarding the characteristics of the murderer.

It is not until considerably further on in the novel that the reader encounters Andy again, while Cameron has gone up for two days, to get out of town. The atmosphere is very relaxed and friendly, which emphasises the close relationship between Cameron and Andy. Andy begins to talk about his experiences in war in the Falklands, and explains how he had a responsibility to fight. "We all have responsibility, Cameron. You can't escape it."
Another important development in both the characters of Andy and Cameron occurs when Cameron has a flashback of when he was five and Andy was seven. Essentially, Andy falls through ice on a loch and Cameron fails to rescue him. The result is that Cameron is regarded more or less as a selfish person who did not attempt to save the life of his best friend, and the reader is therefore sympathetic towards Andy.

A crucial incident occurs immediately after the flashback, when Andy, the second person narrator, kills Howie in an attempt to fake his own death, and proceeds to burn his own home. The reader is therefore certain, due to the fact that the murder is narrated in the second person, that it is Cameron who kills 'Andy'. The reader believes that Andy is dead until the murder of William, when Banks highlights the sudden way in which Cameron reacts to finding the body of William.

The fact that Andy is the murderer throughout Complicity is confirmed when Cameron is knocked out on the way home, while he has stopped on the road in an attempt to get his broken down car working again, after Andy had put a small bag of sugar into the petrol tank to choke the engine. Consequently, Andy takes Cameron, under the influence of ether, to Inchkeith. Andy talks to Cameron about the deaths, and gives reasons for killing each person. Personally, I found this part of the book more interesting than everything else, as I didn't quite see why Andy believed it was his responsibility to punish these people.

As one of the first thrillers I have read, I found Complicity extremely interesting, and particularly enjoyed the way Banks played with the opinion of the readers, using techniques such as flashbacks, in such an effective way as to ensure that Andy was not suspected to be a murderer. When the reader is eventually informed of the fact that Andy was the assailant in all the murder cases described in Complicity, all the small and subtle hints throughout the book make sense. Banks has used Cameron and Andy as tools to develop each other's personalities, and I therefore believe that Banks develops Andy very effectively by using the image of Cameron as a rebel to hide the deeds of Andy.