Title: The Wasp Factory
Author: Iain Banks
Published: 1990, Abacus (originally 1984)
Pages: 294
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Rating: 3.5/5
"Two years after I killed Blyth I murdered my younger brother Paul, for quite different reasons than I'd disposed of Blyth, and less than a year after that I did for my younger cousin Esmerelda, more or less on a whim. That's my score to date. Three. I haven't killed anybody for years, and don't intend to ever again. It was just a stage I was going through."
Author: Iain Banks
Published: 1990, Abacus (originally 1984)
Pages: 294
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Rating: 3.5/5
"Two years after I killed Blyth I murdered my younger brother Paul, for quite different reasons than I'd disposed of Blyth, and less than a year after that I did for my younger cousin Esmerelda, more or less on a whim. That's my score to date. Three. I haven't killed anybody for years, and don't intend to ever again. It was just a stage I was going through."
Enter - if you can bear it - the extraordinary private world of Frank, just sixteen, and unconventional, to say the least.
The Wasp Factory is probably one of the most disturbing books I have ever read and I couldn't stop reading it. It is about 16-year-old Frank, his creepy ways that he passes the time, and how he deals with the news that his brother has escaped from hospital.
This book is very much a horror book, with graphic depictions of animal killing and murder. It is both complex and simple. I felt I had to concentrate to understand what was going on half the time, but the actual writing is easy to read.
The story is told from the POV of Frank, who is quite frankly a psychopath and absolutely terrifying. A very unlikeable person. Actually, there wasn't one likable character in the whole book! Frank's brother, Eric, is also a psychopath (I have slightly more sympathy given his story though). And his father is physically there, but he doesn't really pay much attention to Frank or what he's getting up to. He should have sought out help form Frank and Eric a long time ago.
The Wasp Factory is set in a fictional town on the east coast of Scotland. But to be honest, apart from the odd Scottish dialogue, it didn't feel like it was set in Scotland at all. And I'm Scottish and from the east coast!
The plot did keep he hooked as I wanted to know what horrific thing Frank would do next and he was so unpredictable. Although he did drop hints. And there were plenty of twists to the story too. But I also felt the ending could have been tied up a bit more and felt it was very loose.
Iain Banks was a brilliant write though, so I think I'll definitely seek out more by him. I didn't necessarily enjoy The Wasp Factory, but I can appreciate it as being very well written. I'd recommend it to anyone with a strong stomach who doesn't mind being utterly horrified by what they are reading.
Feel free to leave a comment.
Feel free to leave a comment.
This is probably not a book for me, but I can appreciate a well written book that examines the mind of this young man.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely an acquired taste I suppose. Very well written, but just so horrifying. I'm glad I read it though because I rarely read Scottish authors even though I'm Scottish myself.
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