The Wasp Factory

By Iain Banks

Categories: Literature & Fiction

Frank Cauldhame, sixteen, lives with his father on a small island off the Scottish coast, where he keeps to private rituals of his own making and admits that he killed three children when he was younger. When word comes that his older brother Eric has escaped from a psychiatric hospital and is heading home, Frank prepares for his arrival. Banks's first novel, published in 1984, is known for its violence and dark humor.

Recommended by 1 person

• Elon Musk: “Reading Look to Windward by Banks. He is an amazing writer. Pantheon level.”