Book Review: The Wasp Factory

I'm familiar with Iain Banks' work, but until now only in his guise as Iain M. Banks, science fiction author. This is the first non-SF work of his that I've read, and probably, since it was his first novel, the best place to start.

I have a long-standing ambivalence to reviewing very well-known works. What, after all, can I say that hasn't already been said a hundred times (or to be entirely accurate, in the case of the reviews on Amazon, one hundred and thirty-five times)? But in terms of being well known, The Wasp Factory is in a league of its own. According to Wikipedia: "A 1997 poll of over 25,000 readers listed The Wasp Factory as one of the top 100 books of the 20th century."

If I hadn't already learned this was a debut novel, I think I would have worked it out for myself. It has distinct echoes of another debut novel - much less famous (at least, outside his immediate circle of friends) - by an acquaintance of mine. It is however, much more accomplished in its characterisation, use of language, and plotting. Only the smallest hints of apprenticeship remain in odd little corners of the narrative. In the main, it's an impressive piece, even though the subject matter is not something I'd normally choose. Geographically, emotionally and physically, the overarching impression of the story for me was one of claustrophobia. Frank inhabits a small Scottish island - reached from the mainland only via a bridge - which he rarely leaves, since his birth was unregistered and he doesn't attend school. His rituals are rigid, many of the places he spends his time are small and inaccessible - the attic room, the dugout - and he is alone for most of the time.

His story is surprising, unpredictable, and told with total candour. A compelling clarity and absence of sentiment that is immediately recognisable as the innermost thoughts of an adolescent boy in all their brutality and horror. Unlike many of the book club books of recent months, while easily as weird as the weirdest of them, this held my interest right up to the last page. And on attaining that page there was a welcome lack of "so what?" in the ending. Not a book I would expect to read again, but definitely enjoyable as a one-off if you're looking for something different.