The way Frank turns out is mainly because of his father, an entirely heartless person. It is fascinating to see the intelligence and genius behind the stories that Frank comes up with his extraordinary imagination. Here, he has built an entire mythology around himself, complete with an altar, sacred objects (like the skull of a dog that mauled him as a kid) and ritual sacrifices of wasps that he collects in an elaborate death trap inside an old clock face that he calls the ‘wasp factory’.

His dad’s sense of humor is vile and some of it does rub off on Frank.īut thanks to his dad’s bum leg, Frank has an entire loft to himself that he has developed as his own secret haven. His dad keeps many secrets from him and he is constantly feeling that his dad keeps experimenting with him. Eric’s imminent return is not what troubles Frank, for he loves his brother, but he doesn’t understand why their conversations almost always end up with Eric getting flared up over something or the other.įranks relationship with his dad is strange. His brother, Eric, has just escaped from a mental asylum and for the major part of the book, Frank is troubled by random phone calls from Eric who keeps updating him about his progress towards their house. This is the story of Frank, a 16 year old living with his Father on an island. But in its own way, this is one of the best books I have ever read.

It isn’t for those who can’t stand gore and animal cruelty and the death of children. Fifty-first book reviewed as part of the 130 Challenge.

Iain banks the wasp factory review