A review by bumble_abi
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

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

4.0

The first person voice is remarkable, even as Frank is utterly psychopathic he's also strangely sympathetic, and the prose is disarmingly lovely. I had a great time with this novel, it was blackly funny and vivid and horrible and handled it's themes deftly and cleverly. I found myself a little frustrated by the last few pages, which felt a little too explanatory for my taste (like 'this book is ending soon, let me tell you what it was really about just in case you haven't worked that out for yourself yet') but on the whole this was immensely enjoyable.
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