Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Dark and mysterious, 22 Jul 2006
I first read this book about 8 years ago and have since read it several times as the brilliance and originality of it make it a rewarding read. That's not to say it's a happy book because it most certainly isn't. The Wasp Factory is a darkly twisted first person narrative of Frank, a profoundly disturbed teenager whose principle sources of entertainment are torturing animals and bumping off unwanted cousins. And we're not just talking about incinerating ants with a magnifying glass or a bread knife in the back, we are talking DIY flamethrowers, bombs, kites, snake venom and The Wasp Factory - a device of psychopathic genius.
I've never read another book like this and to be honest I'm not sure I want to. Frank's simple yet warped logic is brilliantly explained by the author and gives the reader a new way of seeing the world and seeing connections between seemingly unconnected events that were never obvious before until you've taken a trip in Frank's mind.
Banks isn't renowned for subtlety and that charge could be made here but that would be to miss the subtle way the book builds to a climax as Frank's mentally ill brother makes his way home to an explosive endgame after escaping from the secure hospital where he is detained.
The Wasp Factory is darkly comic, truly horrifying and well-paced, but most of all it's expertly written and you'll just want to read more and more. Well, that is if the battle with the rabbits near the beginning doesn't put you off. I'd say read it if you dare but don't say I didn't warn you.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
Superb!, 25 Aug 1999
By A Customer
My introduction to the wonderful world of Iain Banks came a couple of years ago when someone recommended I read The Wasp Factory - it has stuck in my mind as the most memorable book I have ever read since then. It was recommended by a friend, with much giggling and raising of eyebrows - I assume in anticipation of my shock and horror at its contents. Shocked and horrified at The Wasp Factory? Never! Delighted, amazed and over-awed at such wit and clever writing is more how I would describe my reaction to this perfect piece of literature. I went on to read every other book by Mr Banks I could get my hands on and even though I have enjoyed every one of them, I don't remember any of them with as much fondness as I do The Wasp Factory (the closest I have come is with The Crow Road and Whit). I agree that maybe anyone who has led too sheltered a lifestyle may be a little perturbed by the detailing of Frank's more-than-a-little warped personality, but if you read the book without any previous misgivings (hard to do I know) and try to keep an open mind and your sense of humour, you should be pleasantly surprised. (The exception to this rule may be my Mum (sorry Mum) who gave up halfway through as she just didn't "get it" - but that's Mums for you!). Give it a go, you really don't know what you're missing. .... And anyone who reads the back page of a book first should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Dark, depraved brilliance., 24 May 2006
It's a horror story but doesn't rely just on the blood and guts to shock. There's a heavy psychological aspect to this book. What amazed me is that it's Banks' first, and shows the difference between a developing skill and sheer writing ability that makes the rest of us puke with jealousy.
Writing in the first person like we're all told never to do, Banks creates this remote world where the central character, clearly rather unhinged, spends his insular life committing brutalities towards animals. It seems important, and the only thing that isn't met with disdain and suspicion.
His disjointed life in remote Scotland has centred around this and three successful, pointless murders he's acheived.
Banks creats the character excellently and builds their world and their mindset in clear demonstration. Personally I equate deliberate cruelty to animals with perversion, but identified well with Frank despite his actions. Banks makes it a page turner, he brings every expression and event to life, and it's a thoroughly enjoyable tale.
A massive twist at the end, I didn't see it coming, some readers do. The sickness runs right through this book. It seems to me the product of a sick and depraved mind, who also happens to be a genius.
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