The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

The Wasp Factory is the story of a 16 year old boy, Frank, living on a remote island off the Scottish coast with his father. Frank is no ordinary teenager - he already has 3 murders under his belt, and isn't against the idea of more. This book has a reputation for being a dark read that is hard to stomach at times and is often ranked way up there as one of the sickest books of the last few decades.

The Wasp Factory focuses on Frank, who spends most of his time killing animals on his family's island. He really revels in it. When he isn't picking off rabbits, he likes to indulge in other strange behaviour, like building dams in the streams and little villages under the dams, only to let the dams collapse and flood the villages. He also has a contraption he calls "The Wasp Factory" which he uses to predict the future. Also, his dad has a secret room in the house they share which he locks at all times, and an obsession with the measurements and dimensions of everything in the house. Oh, and Franks older brother has escaped from the mental institution he has called home for the last few years, and is making his way back to the island. Frank has also murdered 3 children in his past, but seems to have gotten away with it. I think that just about sets the scene, and should give you a taste of what this book is like.

The book starts off fairly slowly with Frank going about his life, doing things which are completely sensible and logical to him - putting rabbits heads on sticks to protect the island, and talking about the factory's predictions, with little explanation to the reader as to why he is doing these things. It makes it a bit of a tough start, and a lot of the events just have to be taken at face value, in the hope that all will become clear later on. Frank's ideas and actions are slowly explained to the reader, and they start to make a bit of twisted sense, which gives the book a satisfying edge to it, and for me was really one of the only things I enjoyed. The insight into Frank's mind is interesting, and Frank as a character shows Iain's rich imagination, and ability to create a real villain - Frank is weird, but not simple. He is a complicated character with theories and thoughts that are developed, though sometimes lacking in clear logic.

The murders seem to be the bit of the book that everyone focuses on. There are 3 of them, and though they are pretty grisly - mainly because they are child murders, there is nothing really, really shocking about them. Nothing as graphic or disturbing as say American Psycho. They are all pretty creative though - there's no stabbings or poison or any of those old-fashioned methods of killing - Frank is pre-meditated (mostly) and can spot an opportunity to make a murder seem like an accident. The absurdity in the methods he uses to kill give the book a nice feel to it - it is reminiscent of old gothic horror and add to the book's surreal-yet-realistic atmosphere. I explained them to my wife and she thought they sounded stupid - and out of the context of the novel they do, but within the world of the Wasp Factory they fit in perfectly and to me that is why they are such big talking points.

The Wasp Factory has a huge reputation and is loved by many, and Iain Banks has gone on to achieve great things, but I didn't especially enjoy this book, and I can't really put my finger on why. I can see why people love this book, and I can see why people loathe this book, but for me it was middle of the road.

Have you read this book? Do you agree? Am I completely wrong? Let me know