Play Book Tag discussion

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks - 1* - My Review

This is a disturbing book. Sixteen-year-old protagonist Frank who is both mentally unstable and cruel. Killing gives him a feeling of power. Frank lives with his father in a remote wooded location on a Scottish island. He hates women and has had a traumatic past that is initially unexplained. His brother Eric is confined to a psychiatric institution, but escapes, and part of the storyline involves Eric’s psychotic phone calls to Frank during his journey home. While readers do not know all the details of what is going on, we know trouble is coming.

The writing in this debut is strong, but there is way too much animal cruelty and nightmarish material here for my taste. It is narrated by Frank in first person, and I found it difficult to remain in the head of a person who regularly has such horrific thoughts. I am not generally a reader of horror or suspense, and I read this for the Steeplechase challenge that is attempting to expand my reading horizons. This one, however, was a bridge too far.

PBT Steeplechase - tagged "horror suspense" x11:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...

PBT July BWF Extra B and tagged "debut" x13:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...

I had this down as a potential read for horror suspense too. Thanks for the warning. In general, I don't mind this type of book but I feel like there are better options out there for this tag.

I think you could easily find something not as horrific as this. I forgot to put the content warnings in case someone is tempted to pick it up. I honestly do not know what the point was - if there even was one.

PBT Content warnings: (view spoiler)[ murders of children, castration, setting living animals on fire, many incidents of animal cruelty, animal heads on pikes, bomb-making, violent acts in every chapter” (hide spoiler)]

ETA - The only reason it was on my TBR is that it is on the Boxall List of 1001 Books - I am puzzled as to the reason it is included.