Dead Air

by Iain Banks

The first person narrative begins on 11 September 2001, and Banks uses the protagonist's conversations - both on the radio and off - to discuss the consequences of the terrorist attacks in the United States on that day. Ken Nott is at a loft party in London at the crucial moment.

The reader hears many of Nott's alcohol and other drugs. His politics are libertarian, and he rants at every chance.

Nott's various girlfriends (including Jo, who does public relations for an indie band called Addicta), his long-suffering radio show colleague Phil, and his black DJ friend Ed are described. Apart from the expected difficulties associated with being a politically controversial radio DJ, everything is going smoothly for Ken until he meets Celia (or "Ceel"), a gangster's wife, whom he falls in love with. An indiscretion with a mobile phone and an answering machine leads him into some difficult and frightening situations.