Iain Banks' 'The Wasp Factory', 'The Crow Road' and 'Whit'

Scotnotes #17

by Alan MacGillivray

Iain Banks was one of Scotland's most inventive writers, producing an extraordinary range of work, from family sagas set in present-day Scotland to science fiction spanning vast gulfs of space and time. He enjoyed breaking the arbitrary boundaries of genre, and often created narratives blending “realistic” storylines with fantastical elements.

Alan MacGillivray’s Scotnote provides an overview of Iain Banks’s fiction, and focuses on three novels in particular: The Wasp Factory, a darkly comic piece of Scottish Gothic fiction; The Crow Road, a cross-generational family saga with elements of a detective story; and Whit, following the adventures of an innocent thrust into modern society. Suitable for senior school pupils and students at all levels.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Contemporary

80 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 2001

About the author

Alan MacGillivray is a specialist in Scottish Literature who has lectured at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, and is a former President of the Association for Scottish Literary Studies.

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly what the fuck ? Disturbing, bizarre, dark, painful to read. Had some very cool ideas, but definitely need a moment to let it all fully sink in.

[LMG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly one of the most bizarre books I have read, but loved every minute of it!

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First reading of Oain Banks. Love the realism and humour even with the dark subject matter. Will be reading more

[Geoff]

Weird, but interesting