A book suggestion for May
| From: | Richard P. |
| Sent on: | Tuesday, April 3, 2012, 9:46 PM |
I thought I’d suggest a book for the book group. I’d like to suggest the “The Wasp Factory” by Iain Banks.
This was Iain Banks’ début novel, and to say it was controversial is an understatement; the Irish Times calling it a “work of unparallelled depravity”. It was also voted, in 1997, to be one of the top 100 English language books of the 20th Century.
It’s not a book that easily sits in a genre, though I’d describe it as a psychological thriller, with liberal splashes of gothic horror. The book is from the viewpoint of Frank, a damaged and disturbed teenager, who suffered a horrific animal attack when he was 3. Frank’s world is upset by the escape of his brother Eric from a mental hospital, and the expected return of Eric to the family home/Island, where Frank lives with his compulsive lie telling father. In some ways it’s a coming of age story of a sociopath, who uncovers the dark secrets of why he is what he is, and what’s behind his fathers locked study door.
When I read it 20 odd years ago it had a real cult status, with dog eared paperback copies passed from person to person, handed over and in hushed tones of “Oh My God, you’ve got to read this”. The first time I read it, I found this a dark, gothic, macabre book, a cross between Lord of the Flies and the Wicker Man. I’d like to re-read it, to see if it will affect me that way again or if I’ve just become too jaded and desensitised over the years.
Oh and its about 200 pages long!
Richard Parker
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