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Book Review of The Wasp Factory

The Wasp Factory
The Wasp Factory
Author: Iain Banks
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
cemeterygates avatar reviewed Dark Psychological Fiction on + 29 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


I devoured this quickly and with great satisfaction and only wished it were a more involved and longer tale. I fell in true fascination with the protagonist and the expertly crafted prose of his depraved youth and surroundings and craved more insight; it could easily have been 200 pages longer and a good deal more satisfying. The protagonist is a young, isolated Scottish boy with a penchant for animal mutilation and magical thinking, it pulls you in and has many passages that resonate in their darkness. I would call this a must-read for fans of dark psychological works despite it brevity. The means by which some minor characters meet their ends will remind you wickedly of the great Edward Gorey.