All our lives are symbols. Everything we do is part of a pattern we have at least some say in. The strong make their own patterns and influence other people’s, the weak have their courses mapped out for them. The weak and the unlucky, and the stupid.
The astonishing debut novel The Wasp Factory (1984) by Scottish writer Ian Banks. Dark, twisted and perverse, the controversial story tells of a 17 year old and his violent tendencies.
Alex Raphael 
This is such a highly commendable book. Reminds me of the first sentence of his Crow Road: “It was the day my grandmother exploded.” Gets you hooked 🙂
So happy someone else has here read this book too. I read it at college along with Fight Club, The Beach, The Diceman and American Psycho. Just an astonishing read. I’ll have to check our Crow Road.
Oh, that’s a great reading list! It looks like you have a favourite book genre 🙂 Crow Road is one of Banks’s most appreciated books, but I’m sorry to report that I didn’t really enjoy it. There were good parts for sure, but on the whole, it wasn’t as much fun as The Wasp Factory.
It was good to read so many controversial, challenging books, especially as I was writing so much at the time.
This book is so strange lol. What he keeps in the jar !!!!! If I remember it rightly anyway, it was kept in a jar? You must know what I mean..!
So great to find others who have read it. What an astonishing novel. I remember reading the comments by reviewers in the book beforehand and half of them were criticising it and saying how sick it was.
Ah it’s not bad, I’ve read sicker books than that lol. I love dark stuff though, I’m very odd! It did have an unpleasant atmosphere throughout though.
Sicker than The Wasp Factory?!
Far worse!!!! Lol 🙂
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Loved this book ❤ read it when I was in college, such a sinister and deliciously twisted read!
That’s when I read it too. I’m big for titles, and that grabbed me straight away. I also read The Diceman, and American Psycho. My college bookshop had some really provocative books for sure!
Haven’t read those other two yet, though American Psycho has been on my list for ages, must get around to it.
The film does a great job to be fair. If you do read it make sure to listen to Phil Collins too haha.