This novel is mostly a navel gaze as Frank waits for Eric to come back from the psychiatric hospital he was being held at after he "went crazy". We spend a week with Frank, learning about the island he and his father live on and the 3 murders Fank committed. We follow him on his wars against rabbits, his meditation on how much he hates sheep and women, and watch him get into his father's study.

When you put it down, it doesn't seem like the heart of darkness a lot of "most intense horror" book lists make if seem. Compared to Cows and even It, the content seems tame. But I think what sets Wasp Factory apart is that Iain Banks has a certain coldness in the style that makes Frank seem more realistic. More grounded. You could know Frank, see him at a bar, talk to him and never know.

Overall I enjoyed my time with this book. Even with the "twist" at the end that seems like the weakest part of the book.