The only trouble is, where Catcher in the Rye tried to be about adolescent cynicism and coming of age, Wasp Factory tries to be about…well…Īnd there’s the rub. Where Catcher in the Rye meandered, Wasp Factory zooms at a breakneck pace from its beginning through its story and to its conclusion. Unlike many of Banks’ more indulgent later novels, Wasp Factory features a tighly written, very personal first person narrative. Like many of Banks’ subsequent novels the book combines a horror novel’s gore with a mystery novel’s shock ending with the quality of writing you would expect from a Serious Author. Perhaps I am not giving Banks enough credit, but I don’t think so. The fact that I strongly doubt this was Banks’ intention cheapens it a little bit but ultimately the work must be judged outside of the author’s intentions. Why is it that you read fiction? What do you want to get out of it? Wasp Factory is a book that has forced many to question their reasons and motives for reading, and any book that forces people to reconsider their unconscious assumptions and think about what they have otherwise taken for granted is probably close to being great literature. Think of it as bonus material, like a deleted scene. I’m not sure when I wrote it, but it was probably in 2004. Note: While moving the archives from my old review site, I found that this review had somehow slipped through the cracks after being written and never made it on to the old site. Wasp Factory by Iain Banks Februat 12:00 am | Posted in 3 stars, Book Reviews | 2 Comments

Iain m banks the wasp factory