The Wasp Factory

[Addy]

This is a short little book Terry and I will be reading soon. If u want to join us feel free to haunt, lurk or join...lol.

[Terry]

When would you like to start?

[Addy]

Do u have it already?

[Terry]

It just got here yesterday, so I'm good to go :)

[Addy]

Cool! I work all weekend so wud Monday be ok?

[Terry]

Sure. Sounds good.

[Michael]

I loved this book. It has quite a sinister feel to it.

[Addy]

Can't go wrong with sinister:) I can't get over the blurb where it says he's killed and nonchalantly explains its a phase he was going through. Really!? This kid is messed up!

[Deborah]

I've had this for awhile, so I'm going to try to join in.

[Addy]

Welcome Deborah! I'm good with 2-3 chaps a day and any further please use spoiler tags. Starting on Monday.

[Deborah]

Addy wrote: "Welcome Deborah! I'm good with 2-3 chaps a day and any further please use spoiler tags. Starting on Monday."

I read the whole thing yesterday, so I'll probably wait until y'all are at 100% spoilers to contribute anything.

[Addy]

That's ok. I knew u wud:) I remember u from other groups and I always thought u were a fast reader. Feel free to chime in. Hope u enjoyed it!

[Addy]

Ch2(view spoiler)[is the catapult like a slingshot? I'm not sure. (hide spoiler)]

[Addy]

I stopped at ch3. (view spoiler)[ I'm not sure what to think of this book yet but this kid is disturbing. " what do u like to do for fun? I like to blow up and torture bunnies." Wow! Not that he wud admit to that. It was interesting to read how other family members offed themselves and also interesting with how he killed his cousin. Not as gruesome as I thought but still unsettling. (hide spoiler)]

[Terry]

Addy wrote: "Ch2[spoilers removed]"

i believe that's exactly what it is. Ch2 (view spoiler)[ Boy, rough part with the rabbits! (hide spoiler)]

[Gulli]

Hi! I was wondering whether you guys are still reading this? I would like to join in!

[Terry]

You're welcome to join, Gully! A couple of us are just at the end of ch2, reading 2-3 ch a day.

[Terry]

Addy wrote: "I stopped at ch3. [spoilers removed]"

I'm feeling the same way, Addy (view spoiler)[ hard to be in the mind of somebody like that! (hide spoiler)]

[Gulli]

Terry wrote: "You're welcome to join, Gully! A couple of us are just at the end of ch2, reading 2-3 ch a day."

Thank you, Terry! I'll get started as soon as possible. :-)

[Addy]

Welcome Gully!

Ch3(view spoiler)[ I really don't understand why this kid is spending all his time building bombs and attacking animals. It just seems like a waste of time....defending the island. From what? I mean, I know he can't get a job because he doesn't exist but isn't there something else he could do? Or maybe I'm just not getting this book. Lol. (hide spoiler)]

[Nickronomicon]

I read this awhile back, and I was a little underwhelmed. It gets such high praise but I guess I just didn't get it. It's one of those books where you just kind of ride along, then there's kind of a twist at the end - though you'll probably see it coming - and then it just ends. Weird book. I'll just lurk here and see what you all think of it.

[Addy]

Right now I'm wondering why the high praise but I'm a little less than half way through.

[Addy]

Pg72(view spoiler)[How horrible for Frank to kill his little brother the way he did. I don't think they were full brothers so it's obvious Frank might have been jealous. I might be wrong. It wasn't clear if they were step siblings or not. Anyway, it was still evil. (hide spoiler)]

[Terry]

Addy wrote: "Welcome Gully!

Ch3[spoilers removed]"

I'm not really yet either. (view spoiler)[ I'm guessing that we're seeing just what paranoia sounds like in someone's mind! (hide spoiler)]

[Addy]

Good thinking Terry! I hadn't thought of that! Makes a little more sense of what goes on in someone's head.

[Terry]

Addy wrote: "Pg72[spoilers removed]"

No kidding (view spoiler)[ blowing him to pieces with a bomb - wow, brother or not, that's crazy! I'm sure hoping the second half of this gets better. (hide spoiler)]

[Addy]

Don't count on it!

[Addy]

Pg96(view spoiler)[the death of Esmeralda was pretty sad. His logic about making things equal or balanced is messed up. (hide spoiler)]

[Terry]

Addy wrote: "Pg96[spoilers removed]"

Yeah, pretty warped logic, (view spoiler)[ and what crazy ways to kill off siblings - bombs and kites! Those obsessive compulsive descriptions too just add to the bizarre behavior. (hide spoiler)]

[Terry]

Pg107 (view spoiler)[ Man, maybe there is a reason why he is crazy after all! (hide spoiler)]

[Addy]

Oh gosh, I totally agree(view spoiler)[after reading ch6, things make a lot more sense....like losing your genitals. I'm sure this could make somebody crazy. And now I know why he was killing off gerbils and hamsters ( poor things). I think I like this book more now that we know why this kid is so messed up. (hide spoiler)]

[Addy]

This is just a guess but (view spoiler)[but maybe Eric knows about Frank's little accident and this is why he burns dogs?? (hide spoiler)]

[Terry]

Addy wrote: "This is just a guess but [spoilers removed]"

Good theory. (view spoiler)[ I'm wondering if we find out that Eric is already dead and this is all in Frank's mind? That's a little thin, though as the dad would have to be playing along with it, too... (hide spoiler)]

[Addy]

Hmmm. Very curious.

[Gulli]

Addy wrote: "Oh gosh, I totally agree[spoilers removed]"

Chapter 6, though short, definitely shed light on a lot of things! "So that was my mother’s last visit to the island and the house. She left one dead, one born and two crippled for life, one way or other. Not a bad score for a fortnight in the summer of groovy and psychedelic love, peace and general niceness."

[Addy]

That definitely sums it up!

[Addy]

I stopped at ch9. (view spoiler)[the wasp factory is really fascinating. Everything he did in the face of a clock with 12 different deaths for a tiny wasp is pretty damn impressive. If he had some education he prob could be doing something great. My only complaint was that it was hard to imagine the factory in all its complexity. I wish there was a picture of it. The only other part I enjoyed was the phone call from Eric and how Frank admitted that flipping through channels served far better than just watching a single program. I laughed at that! (hide spoiler)]

[Addy]

I'll finish up tomorrow:)

[Terry]

Addy wrote: "I stopped at ch9. [spoilers removed]"

I agree with all of that! (view spoiler)[ I wish there was a diagram or picture of the factory, too! It was too hard to picture anything other than the clock face about 3 feet in diameter. Frank does seem to have plenty of intelligence - just no moral barometer of any kind it seems! (hide spoiler)] I should finish up tomorrow also.

[Bethany]

I just picked this up in a second-hand bookshop, so I might peek over your shoulders in a week or two, if that's ok

[Terry]

Absolutely, Bethany. Look forward to your comments.

[Bethany]

Awesome, thanks Terry

[Addy]

Holy crap! The ending was huge!(view spoiler)[damn! At first, I thought what happened to Eric was pretty mind blowing, but what happened to Frank blew me out of the water! Ok, so he's a girl!! Totally didn't see that coming! How awful for his father to do that to him. Why? An experiment out of selfishness. I don't know how Frank didn't attack him right there and then though he did express it. Wow. I still need to think about this. The one ironic thing was how I kept thinking that Frank really hated women, and he's actually a woman! Crazy! Can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts on this. (hide spoiler)]

[Terry]

I agree, totally did not expect it to end that way. (view spoiler)[ Right about Eric, too. Wow, that would certainly flip your lid to see the kid like that. Very powerful imagery! And yes, the dad seems to be the warped one doing that to Frank. That's just weird! Makes you wonder what happened to these characters after the end of the story. (hide spoiler)]

[Addy]

Yes, you have to wonder what happened to everyone in this book. Definitely re-readable. I prob missed so many clues!

[Terry]

Addy wrote: "Yes, you have to wonder what happened to everyone in this book. Definitely re-readable. I prob missed so many clues!"

(view spoiler)[ book 2 would begin just after Frank (Frances) snapped and killed both Eric and the father (probably Mrs Clamp as well)! (hide spoiler)]

[Addy]

Lol. I know I would....well, not literally:)

[Terry]

Too bad there won't be a book 2, though as I believe the author passed away last year. I have several of his SciFi books on my shelves at home too, but haven't read one yet. I need to get on the ball!

[Addy]

Yes, I had seen that. That's too bad that he's already passed. He wrote a damn good book. I'll have to check out his other stuff.

[Gulli]

I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. I think a diagram of the wasp factory would have helped, too. I have another novel by Banks on my bookshelf, Complicity, which I may read soon!