Συγκλονιστικό και εξαιρετικά νοσηρό την ίδια στιγμή!

It is truly astonishing and extremely disturbing at the same time!

I have never read anything similar before.

It is brutal, harsh, and has an all-encompassing finale.

The story seems to unfold in a way that keeps you on the edge of your seat, yet also makes you feel a sense of unease.

The characters are vividly portrayed, and their actions and decisions add to the overall intensity of the narrative.

The author has managed to create a world that is both captivating and repulsive, leaving the reader with a complex mix of emotions.

Whether you love it or hate it, there is no denying that this is a piece of work that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

What are you reading?

Ehum, a book I bought at Gatwick airport last week!

Do you like it?

No.

What is it about?

Psychopaths talking about the microscopic details of their murderous actions, explaining them away with even worse psychopathic deeds that they fell victim to, watered down to banal cause-and-effect psychology!

What? Who would read that kind of book? Sounds hard?

Well, on the pro side, the language is simplistic, the plot is absurd, and it is short, so I think it caters to young adults with a short attention span and an obsession for violence in different drastic forms!

Well, we live in a violent world, that is reality!

Yes. True! I doubt we would see a father trying to change the gender of his child, though, and a murderer who proudly announces three completed murders before reaching adolescence, - using bombs, snakes and kites to kill off even younger children in the family - explaining it "with hindsight" at age seventeen as a "phase" he went through because of some very odd Freudian sexual issues and stereotypical misogyny!

Eh?

Yes, I know!

Why do you read that kind of trash?

Dunno! Motives are bizarre sometimes? Cheap and easy entertainment? Fascination with vulgarity? I was bored at the airport and paid for it? People like violence, especially against women, children and animals. They like to be confronted with bodily functions and exact descriptions of drunken vomit. They like it in the way they like brutal computer games and stupid television shows.

It's not funny, though!

Isn't it? Isn't it funny when a murderer stops to contemplate the fact that he might look a bit silly, like Mr Spock, when he is working on his sinister plans?

You sound sarcastic and angry!

I am! Angry that I read this book! The vulgarity of the world makes me angry. We have abolished Ancient Roman gladiator games and Medieval public executions, only to find ourselves being completely absorbed by morbid stories, psychopaths and their victimization. I am angry! I've had enough!

As I only review what I finish, though, I forced myself to read to the last page. Fully aware that my review will be different from most others' opinion on this novel, I have to voice my anger at the shallow violence voyeurism, exaggerated to the point of becoming bizarre satire without sense or meaning. If you think it is funny to read about a child exploding, please consider this a roller coaster of the most hilarious kind.

Recommended for those who would have enjoyed sitting in the Colosseum watching animals and humans tear each other apart for the entertainment of the bored SPQR. Recommended for those who wouldn't have missed spitting in the face of a condemned witch before watching every detail of her skin burning while she's publicly suffering at the stake in the Middle Ages. Recommended for whoever needs a bit of sexually motivated, absurd, unrealistic violence every page or two to keep reading. Recommended for those who sit in front of brutal computer games and laugh out loud whenever the pressing of a button causes a virtual character to go "BOOOOOM", body parts graphically flying over the whole screen. Recommended for those who like violence for violence's sake, and who do not need (or want) any other raison d'être for so-called literature.

As for me, I'll make a check on my list of "tried and failed to like another hailed mainstream author". This book has truly disappointed me. It seems that the modern literary world has taken a wrong turn, focusing on such vulgar and senseless content. I long for a return to more meaningful and profound literature that can touch our hearts and make us think about the real issues in life. Instead of this kind of trash that only serves to satisfy our baser instincts. I hope that other readers will see the true nature of this book and choose their reading material more carefully in the future.

It is an incredibly exciting and highly unusual book that delves into the mind of a child psychopath.

Frank finds himself living in a deeply dysfunctional family. Interestingly, there are no women in the household. His father is a doctor, and his brother had once aspired to follow in their father's footsteps and become a doctor as well. However, his brother was placed in a psychiatric hospital from which he managed to flee. Now, he is making his way home and is calling Frank during his journey.

Frank, on his part, has committed a heinous act by killing 3 people. Moreover, he has a strange altar in the burn, which adds an element of mystery to his already dark story. There is also a hidden secret in his life that he will uncover later on, further intensifying the intrigue.

The story is truly captivating, with a smooth writing style that effortlessly holds the reader's attention until the very end. It takes the reader on a thrilling and disturbing journey into the mind of a child with psychopathic tendencies, leaving them on the edge of their seats and eager to discover what lies ahead.

Frank lives with his father in their home on a tiny Scottish island. He has been living with the aftermath of a nasty "accident" that has shaped his life in a disturbing way. In a Dexter-turned-Celtic fashion, we gradually learn about the three murders he committed during his childhood. Each murder is more heinous than the previous one, if such a thing is possible.

He leads a solitary existence, ruling over the island and the animals on it with an iron fist. This domination entails a great deal of brutality that is not for the faint of heart. And as if that weren't enough, Frank's older brother has escaped from the mental institution and seems to be on his way back home. He is known for his violence against dogs and for terrifying children with maggots and worms.

This sick and twisted tale initially held great promise for me. Its darkness and the potential for revealing and unraveling the mysteries within it were captivating. I truly enjoyed the writing, as the author artfully built up the tension. The standoff with the rabbit was truly disturbing and added to the overall atmosphere of unease. However, the ending was too bizarre for my taste. It was like a reverse "Crying Game" and left me wondering what on earth I had just read. There were simply too many crazies in the room for my liking, and I usually have a relatively high tolerance for such things.

A mixture of American Psycho and We Need to Talk About Kevin, this piece is truly something unique. It combines the intense and disturbing elements of both, with the added allure of some mysterious rituals.

The story unfolds in a way that keeps you on the edge of your seat, yet it also delves deep into the psychological aspects of the characters.

However, it's important to note that just like the two titles I've mentioned, this is not for the faint of heart. The content is very explicit and may be disturbing to some.

So, if you're brave enough to take on this dark and twisted journey, enter with caution. But be prepared to be both horrified and intrigued by what lies within.

Both sexes possess unique capabilities; women have the remarkable ability to give birth, while men, unfortunately, seem to have a propensity for aggression and violence, as exemplified by the statement "men can kill."

Sixteen-year-old Frank, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, finds meaning and fulfillment in his daily rituals and recreations. Whether it's the cruel act of torturing bugs or the heartless killing of birds, he believes there is a purpose behind each of his actions.

Meanwhile, Frank's brother Eric, who is violently unstable, manages to escape from a mental institution and decides to make his way back home. Frank, despite the chaos and potential danger that Eric may bring, is excited at the prospect of seeing his brother again and eagerly awaits his return and their reunion.

This book, "The Wasp Factory," is not for the faint of heart. It challenges our traditional notions of morality, suggesting that it is subjective and open to interpretation. It also explores the power of depravity, showing that even in the darkest of actions, there may be a strange allure.

In conclusion, "The Wasp Factory" is a transgressively delightful read for those who feel like they don't belong in this world, like aliens on the wrong planet. It offers a unique and disturbing perspective on human nature and the lengths to which some people will go in search of meaning and purpose.

For all the so-called controversial works out there, few truly shock.

I can honestly say that Wasp Factory is in this limited company.

I wasn't reading it solely for the shock value, yet I was still richly rewarded.

It features weird characters, a great narrator, good satire, pitch black humor, and a tale of bizarre Scottish gothic.

There are lots of unanswered questions, and in many ways, it resembles the slow unveiling of a nightmare.

In fact, there are scenes of such horror in this book that I had to put it down for a minute after reading them.

This was my first encounter with Iain Banks' work, but I'm certain there will be many more.

The unique blend of elements in Wasp Factory makes it a truly captivating and unforgettable read.

It challenges the reader's expectations and takes them on a journey through a strange and often disturbing world.

Whether it's the complex characters, the dark humor, or the mysterious plot, there's something in this book for everyone to enjoy.

I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and engaging read.

How can a book of less than 200 pages be so tiring? It's truly astonishing. I guess it can be when it fails to engage you and make you invest in and care for its characters.

It seems I'm perhaps getting too old to be easily impressed by the shocking techniques often employed in literature. And unfortunately, there seems to be little more than that in The Wasp Factory.

The book is filled with endless descriptions of the everyday life of a sociopathic teenager and his rather disturbing adventures against small animals. This takes up the biggest part of the narrative. The only redeeming feature, if one can call it that, is how he manages to justify all his insane actions. He considers himself completely sane, while at the same time failing to understand his brother's madness and his father's rather strange quirks.

By the way, what's with all the deranged people in that family? It's quite a mystery. Other than that, the characters were simply unbelievable, and the plot was painfully slow. It was so tiring that by the time the much-anticipated twist finally came up, all I wanted was to get the whole thing over with.

Overall, I can only give this book 2 stars.

This book truly saved my reading life when I was 16.

I had been an avid reader since childhood, devouring books with great enthusiasm. However, by my mid-teens, school books had taken a toll on me. The dull classics, the predictable teenage love stories, and the teacher-recommended drivel had drained my imagination and killed my desire to read. For the first time in my life, I began to turn away from books, scanning and skipping pages. But then, miraculously, this book landed in my hands, and it brought everything back into focus in my otherwise messed-up world.

As a teenager, you are acutely sensitive to hypocrisy and to many other things. This book perfectly matched my cynical and detached view of the adult world at that time. It spoke to me on a deep level, pulling me into its strange, horrible, and immoral universe, and I loved every moment of it.

There was no pretentiousness, no hidden message, no flowery prose, no posturing, and no happy endings. Instead, there was a raw and unapologetic glee in violence and hurt. I knew this was a book that my teachers would loathe and my parents would think was terrible, but that only made it more appealing to me. I even impressed my friends by reading passages aloud from it. It reignited my passion for reading and made me realize that reading could be a source of pleasure, albeit a rather grisly and vicarious one.

People often like to dress up their filth in various ways. Sex is presented in a romantic context, murder, rape, and violence are sanitized within the framework of a crime novel, and nosiness is disguised as celebrity news in newspapers, magazines, and online. But this book is the complete opposite. It is naked, unashamedly so, running wild and doing cartwheels around your house.

Now, over 30 years later, reading this book again, I can no longer recapture the same feeling I had back then. However, I can still appreciate what Banks was trying to achieve, and I still have a soft spot for it. It's also great that he didn't get stuck in a rut, repeating the same formula over and over. While some themes remained consistent, he explored a wide range of topics in his writing.

I will always be grateful to this book for saving my reading life. I might not recommend it to people nowadays, as it may not be suitable for everyone. But it still serves as a refreshing change, like a shot of single malt or a puff on a joint, after the countless glasses of frothy beer and fine but unremarkable wine that make up the bulk of normal literature. And for that, I will always love it. I'll keep it on the shelf, waiting for the day when my son and daughter turn 15 and start telling me that books are crap. Maybe this book will be the one to change their minds.

Probably the most disturbing story I have ever read was about a young girl who was kidnapped and held captive for years.

Her captor was a deranged individual who subjected her to unspeakable horrors.

The girl endured physical and emotional abuse on a daily basis, and she had no hope of escape.

Despite the odds, she managed to hold onto a glimmer of hope and never gave up.

Finally, after many years, she was rescued and reunited with her family.

The story was truly heart-wrenching and it made me realize the importance of珍惜自由 and standing up against injustice.

It also made me wonder how many other people out there are suffering in silence, and what we can do to help them.

This story will stay with me forever and serve as a reminder to always be vigilant and to never take our freedoms for granted.

I delved into this book with complete ignorance, not even having the slightest clue about its genre. As a result, everything within its pages came as a total surprise to me. Once I started reading, I simply couldn't put it down. The story had such a grip on me that I was compelled to know what would happen next and where the plot was headed. And that ending - it was completely unexpected. What the fuck.

Frank, a psychotic gobshite, resides in a remote area of Scotland, leading a less than great life.

He never attended school and endured life-altering injuries to his nether regions as a toddler. His brother, Eric, is institutionalized due to various acts of arson, his mother abandoned him years ago, and his father, a distant mad scientist, leaves him to his own devices.

Given such a cold existence, it's no wonder Frank's "amusements" involve bombs, underage drinking, and animal cruelty. His life remains much the same as he wreaks havoc on the local bunny population until he learns that Eric has escaped and plans to come home.

Anxious about what's to come, Frank recounts his life story and crimes while "consulting" his barbaric Wasp Factory in the attic.

The book has its merits. The protagonist, Frank, is an interesting yet despicable character, full of misogyny and cold sadistic cruelty. Despite being unredeemable, there are brief moments of humanity that pull the reader in, especially when he's drunk or trying to calm his fugitive brother on the phone.

The ultra-violent episodes are unforgettable, from the incident that broke Eric's mind to the "sheep stampede" and Frank's monstrous acts as a child. There's also dark humor that adds to the overall experience.

However, there are aspects that may repel some readers. Frank's descriptions of his acts against wildlife can seem like a dispassionate checklist.

And then there's the ending. It's a twist that reveals Frank was actually a girl all along, and his father never told him. This has been criticized for being potentially transphobic. While I don't think Banks was directly targeting transpeople, the twist is simply dumb.

Eric forgetting his sibling's true gender, the father's strange decision to hide the male hormones, and the way the twist is managed all contribute to a bad ending. It's underwhelming and doesn't justify Frank's character.

Regrettably, I can't recommend this book. Instead, I suggest looking at Irvine Welsh or James Hogg for that Scottish brand of weirdness and violence. It's a shame, as the book had potential.