The Wasp Factory: A Novel (Paperback)

by Iain Banks (Author) "I HAD BEEN making the rounds of the Sacrifice Poles the day we heard my brother had escaped..." (more)
Key Phrases: new catapult, Old Saul, Bomb Circle, War Bag (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
"I had been making the rounds of the Sacrifice Poles the day we heard my brother had escaped. I already knew something was going to happen; the Factory told me."

Those lines begin one of the most infamous of contemporary Scottish novels. The narrator, Frank Cauldhame, is a weird teenager who lives on a tiny island connected to mainland Scotland by a bridge. He maintains grisly Sacrifice Poles to serve as his early warning system and deterrent against anyone who might invade his territory.

Few novelists have ever burst onto the literary scene with as much controversy as Iain Banks in 1984. The Wasp Factory was reviled by many reviewers on account of its violence and sadism, but applauded by others as a new and Scottish voice--that is, a departure from the English literary tradition. The controversy is a bit puzzling in retrospect, because there is little to object to in this novel, if you're familiar with genre horror.

The Wasp Factory is distinguished by an authentically felt and deftly written first-person style, delicious dark humor, a sense of the surreal, and a serious examination of the psyche of a childhood psychopath. Most readers will find that they sympathize with and even like Frank, despite his three murders (each of which is hilarious in an Edward Gorey fashion). It's a classic of contemporary horror. --Fiona Webster

Review
The Scotsman There's nothing to force you, having been warned, to read it; nor do I recommend it. -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st Scribner Paperback Fiction Ed. 1998 edition (September 10, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684853159
• ISBN-13: 978-0684853154
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (141 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,765 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 108 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rubbish? No, but not brilliant, either., April 3, 2000

By	Adam P. Lounsbery (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was recommended to me by a friend, who said he loved its wicked sense of humor. Named one of the best 100 novels of the last century by The Independent, "The Wasp Factory" certainly seems to have a strong cult following, as most of the highly favorable reviews here attest, but I find all this rather baffling. While not by any means a terrible book, Iain Banks's first novel is simply too messy and amateurish to qualify as a great novel. First of all, enjoying this book requires that one have a high tolerance for detailed descriptions of cruelty to animals, including the mutilation and immolation of many rabbits and dogs. Some of the violence in the book is actually quite funny, and can be enjoyed on a certain macabre level -- such as the narrator's description of an uncle's suicide gone terribly wrong -- but most of it is simply too dark and literally described to be laughable. It often seems that Banks is trying to shock without really thinking of the larger implications of any of the book's violence. While I read "The Wasp Factory," I kept hoping for a denouement that would tie everything together and create a resonance that the bulk of the novel lacked. Unfortunately, all I got was a transparent twist that lent nothing to the events that had preceded it, and seemed designed only to shock. In truth, the novel's twist is no more profound than the climax of the slasher film "Sleepaway Camp." I got the feeling that Banks really felt he was creating something on the level of an O. Henry story, but what he ended up with is a book that reads like a juvenile poison pen letter to all of humanity, and little more.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Delinquency with a twist, December 10, 2004

By	CreepyT "CreepyTendencies" (Colorado, United States) - See all my reviews

"My dad's an eccentric.....I suppose I am, too....But it doesn't bother me. There are a lot madder people about the place" (Banks, 111).

Frank Cauldhame is a sixteen year old juvenile delinquent with a quirky, to say the least, personality. He's got a penchant for death, destruction, mayhem and mischief. He's also highly superstitious. Combine these aforementioned traits with intelligence, methodicism, and zeal, and you have a potentially dangerous character on your hands. Rather than shy away from this odd hodge-podge of personality traits, Iain banks chooses to dissect them, exploring various nooks and crannies within his book The Wasp Factory.

Among the ranks of American Psycho's Patrick Bateman, and Exquisite Corpse's Andrew Compton and Jay Byrne, Frank Cauldhame calmly and casually admits within the early pages of this book that he has killed three of his family members. From there, the reader follows a day in the life of Frank, in which animal slaughter, war games, and thoughtful introspection are the norm.

However, the eccentricities of Frank and his world would not be complete without and accompanying eccentric family. Frank's father, Angus, is quite and contemplative, exchanging only a few words with his son daily regarding the measurements of household items. Frank's older brother, Eric, however, chooses the more in-your-face approach with which to display his unconventional nature. Eric, placed in an asylum some time ago for setting fire to dogs and forcing children to eat worms, has escaped and spends a good chunk of the book finding his way back home to the family with whom he fits so well.

Ultimately, this book is about the secluded, egocentric, alternate world in which Frank creates his own uniquely personal reality shaped by his past experiences, relations, philosophy, ideals and intuition. As far from "normal" as these people may seem, you can't help but find the slightest connection with the characters (as repellent as that notion may seem). "All our lives are symbols. Everything we do is part of a pattern we have at least some say in. The strong make their own patterns and influence other people's, the weak have their courses mapped out for them. The weak and the unlucky, and the stupid" (Banks, 117). Clearly, Frank is none of those (at least from his own perspective).

I must admit, however, that I felt the plot was slightly less developed than it could have been. Some of the characters, including Jamie the Dwarf, and Frank's father, felt extremely one-dimensional. A quote on the back cover from The Independent claims that this is "One of the top 100 novels of the century." Though I found this to be an intriguing read, I wouldn't quite go that far. I simply didn't find the plot to be quite as "gripping" as other people have stated. Controversial, unsettling, and fascinating...yes. A definite must-read...not really.

I look forward to reading what else Iain Banks has to offer, as this was a decent debut from an author with a freshly intriguing voice. Hopefully he has expanded upon the solid foundation laid herein.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing...not for the faint of heart, March 30, 2002

By A Customer

This is the first book by Iain Banks and the only one I've read. It is graphically violent and disgustingly twisted. It describes murders of young children and torture of small animals. And in all of this it manages to be a very captivating novel with an air of mystery that only resovles itself at the end of the book. Narrated by a psychopathic 16 year old boy, Banks takes the reader on a tour of a family with a psychotic past, a town where no one's dog is ever safe, and the mind of a killer. In the final chapters, the book switches it's focus, and the lines are blurred between victim and torturer. Because of the graphic descriptions of terrible acts (massacre of a group of rabbits, burning of dogs, the sight that drove Eric crazy) 'The Wasp Factory is not for everyone. But if you can wade through the blood and stomach the descriptions, you will end up with a story that will disturb and shake up your beliefs.