Isis Whit is no ordinary teenager. An innocent in the ways of the world, an ingenue when it comes to pop and fashion, she does however rejoice in the exalted status of Elect of God of the Luskentyrian Sect, a small but committed religious cult based near Stirling.

A month before their four-yearly Festival of Love, during which members indulge vigorously in acts of carnal abandon, the Luskentyrians are thrown into crisis when their Guest of Honour renounces her faith and refuses to attend. Isis' standing in the Community, coupled with the fact that the apostate is her cousin Morag, swiftly marks her out as the person to venture out among the Unsaved and bring the fallen one back to the fold

But her mission through the spiritual barrenness of Ninties Britain - with its 'herbal cigarettes', compact discs and neo-facist thugs - is soon made even more treacherous. It appears that not only has Morag embraced the ways of the Unsaved with spectacular abandon, but for some reason she seems to be actively avoiding Isis, whose own hallowed status among the bretheren undergoes a radical about-turn as her pillar of faith slowly crumbles from within.

Related by a heroine of true originality - a beguiling blend of candour, naivete and naked wit - Whit is a modern Pilgrim's Progress, exploring the techno-ridden vacuity of modern society from a unique perspective. It confirms Iain Banks' status as one of the most entertaining and perceptive chroniclers of life in contemporary Britain, addressing issues of truth and falsehood, kinship and betrayal in a manner that will entrance the huge readership dazzled by The Crow Road and Complicity.