Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

28 reviews

hkantarek's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Quickly, you get immersed into the violent mind of a budding psychopath. The flashbacks are the highlights of the book with the main story being repetitive and monotonous when it isn't being gruesome or shocking. Perception of the book largely depends on the reader's ability to find the comical in violence and sexism.

The ending was intriguing yet largely out of left field with the rest of the book. I found Paul's death to be the most upsetting part of the book yet one of the most redeeming in terms of writing. Also, the maggot brain incident will not be forgotten.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism

possumpages's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This book is heralded as an extreme horror classic, with lots of praise piled onto it for its writing and themes. However, I felt that the twist at the very end of the book spoiled any minor enjoyment I had had up until that point. I recognize as a book written in the 80's by a scottish man you cannot expect

transgender issues

to be handled well; however, how hamfistedly it was handled when, in fact, the twist could have been done SO WELL wrecked it for me, personally. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Violence, Mental illness, and Fire/Fire injury

britttobegorey94's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Sexism

kawooreads's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Its been awhile since I rated something 2 stars...this book...it is insanely graphic and obscene one minute and borderline boring the next. Essentially Frank, the protagonist lives a hermetic lifestyle on his family's small island in Scotland with his father. At the beginning they learn that Frank's older brother Eric has escaped an institution and is making his way back to the island.  As Frank awaits his inevitable arrival, he divulges the frightening reasons as to his brother's incarceration. Frank admits that he himself has a dark secret, that he killed three of his child relatives in his youth, including his little brother. The rest of the book is Frank nonchalantly describing the grisly ways in which they died while roaming around the island, engaging in intense animal cruelty and performing psychotic rituals with his "Wasp Factory". I held out to the end for 2 reasons, 1) its relatively short, just under 200 pages and 2) every dang person on tiktok said this is one of their favorite disturbing horror books and I'm trying to read Spooky for October...I do not recommend this book to anyone unless someone just wants to indulge in torture stories and relishes a read that will make them regret the time they wasted. Its an extremely disturbing story that had no redeeming qualities and quite a bizarre and lackluster ending. But maybe these kinds of stories just aren't for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, and Violence

grimfrown's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Medical trauma, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

sarah984's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I know that a lot of people found the deaths in this book disturbing, but everything in the book was so whimsical and divorced from reality that it really had no effect on me at all. Extreme misogyny and weird transphobia but that's not surprising in a serial killer story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, Transphobia, and Mental illness

Moderate: Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Rape and Suicide

tabithalevis's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Lots of animal abuse, and a confusing plot that leaves me with many questions. Finished it in one day so definitely something to quickly get through!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, and Vomit

greycells's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Forced institutionalization

Gothic Horror