The Wasp Factory

by Iain Banks | Horror |
ISBN: 0349101779 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingpam99wing of Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland United Kingdom on 1/18/2005
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4 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingpam99wing from Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 18, 2005
I read this years ago, I enjoy his books but he's not my favourite author. Still a great read though.

Journal Entry 2 by wingpam99wing from Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 18, 2005
going to karendawn, on reverse wishlist (http://bookrelay.com)

Journal Entry 3 by wingpam99wing from Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland United Kingdom on Wednesday, January 19, 2005
mailing to karendawn today.

Journal Entry 4 by karendawn from Lafayette, Indiana USA on Monday, January 31, 2005
The book arrived today. Thank you so much for fulfilling my wish! I've enjoyed the other books I've read by this author, so I'm looking forward to this one.

Journal Entry 5 by karendawn from Lafayette, Indiana USA on Tuesday, May 24, 2005
I'm really not sure what to make of this book. The main character was a very disturbed individual and quite a few bits sickened me, but something compelled me to keep reading. Was I expecting the ending? Not at all. Why did Frank behave the way he did? [Yes, the book provides some possible answers, but I don't want to give anything away - and I don't think the revelations completely answer all my questions.] And what about Eric? What is this book saying? Are we all trapped inside a wasp factory or do we just think we are? So many questions this book brings forth and I'm going to have to take some time to think over some possible answers, if there even are any.

UPDATED 6/20/2006: I posted the following on the forum at PBS and want to keep it for future reference, so I'm adding it here. It does contain spoilers (the BIG one), so consider yourself warned and don't read this part until you've finished the book.

But mostly, for me, the biggest questions of all (here's the spoiler part) revolved around the ending. What does this book makes us think about regarding gender? We're taught to believe that girls behave a certain way and boys behave another certain way. It makes "sense" that a boy would act like this but when we find out that Frank (SPOILER) is actually a girl, it's shocking. And I think you're right that physical sex is not that easy to change. So, this speaks to the very heart of the gender question - is it really some innate part of us that makes us act a certain way based on our gender? Or is gender behavior constructed by our society? Because of the way Frank grew up (not socialized as part of the "normal" society), he/she didn't learn how to behave "properly" as a girl. Thus the book explores the idea that gender is socially constructed rather than biologically, that what we think of as more a behavior that a boy would do is not something that we would think a girl would normally do.

So why make it so graphic and violent? If it were just "normal" boy stuff that Frank did, you could pass it off that he/she was a "tomboy" or something of that sort. Or perhaps it wouldn't really make that much of an impression. It needs to be so graphic so that when we find out that a girl has done it, we are even MORE shocked than we would have been, which brings up all the gender questions I mentioned above.

I have no idea if Banks meant any of this while writing the book, but that's what I got out of it. And that is why it is such a powerful and important book to me. I do hope that this helps you understand the book a little more and that it (though it does spoil things) will show future readers that this is not a book to chunk because it is graphic and that the graphic nature DOES have a purpose.

Journal Entry 6 by karendawn at on Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Released 18 yrs ago (5/24/2005 UTC) at

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off to someone on PaperBackSwap

Journal Entry 7 by Rebemdee from Dublin, California USA on Saturday, November 5, 2005
Got the book from paperbackswap.com, but not from Karendawn! :)

I agree with Karendawn's review; I wasn't sure what to make of it. I can't say I enjoyed reading it, I kept going because of morid fascination. In the end, when the secrets come out, they are both shocking and disappointing, if that makes sense. Eh, it was okay, but not a great read.

Journal Entry 8 by ryanreader from St. Petersburg, Florida USA on Wednesday, November 16, 2005
got this in the mail today from paperbackswap.com


It'll take me awhile to get to it......but it comes highly recommended!

thanks for sharing!

Journal Entry 9 by ryanreader from St. Petersburg, Florida USA on Saturday, January 21, 2006
got a duplicate copy so I am gonna set this one free on paperbackswap.com

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