Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

134 reviews

jadey_c23's review

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

This book has the biggest twist I have ever read. At no point did I see it coming. But it is integral to the story. I found this book incredibly disturbing but also could not put it down and needed to know what would happen at the end. Full of triggering content but an interesting and different read.

lydiaarrghh's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Weird and bleak

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness and Misogyny

kellhus's review

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Vomit, and Murder

lolovg__'s review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

limina's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was... something. I was interested enough to read the whole thing but it took me well over a month, despite being 250 pages. At times I just found it dull just reading descriptions of Frank patrolling the island, but then I was also fascinated at his compulsions and rituals.  There was a lot of plain old humdrummery peppered with kernels of plot to keep you hooked. I don't think it really paid off, considering how you think it's going to end and then how it actually ends. 

It really makes me think of the horror movie Sleepaway Camp. Also, Esmeralda's death was CRAZY

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Mental illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

lordofdisorder's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Medical content

Minor: Ableism and Racism

deathmetalheron's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexism, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Vomit, and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, and Pregnancy

The TW is in itself a spoiler, so click this TW/Spoiler first

Gender Dysphoria

. Then you can read the explanation here:

The twist in this book is that the main character, Frank, is undergoing a forced gender transition without their consent. If you have experienced gender dysphoria, it may feel uncomfortable reading the end of this book.

zemightyenby's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Transphobia

jully_bean's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

jamesmalik's review

dark funny reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 This was disturbing, such a standout amongst stuff I usually read. The circumstances put upon the main character are horrible and the rationale in justifying their actions are naive but understandable but at the same also not. It's understandable to a point. Also, this is honestly quite a funny book, It has a great sense of irony that every chapter felt like there was a setup and a punchline. What I said about how pitiful our main character is because of their unfortunate circumstances and the bonkers justification for the actions they do throughout the book(which is sick, I don't think this book is for everyone), It could also be read as some incel 4chan green-text manifesto, which usually has an ironic punchline to their skewed "mission plan" as well.

But if it was just all that, I don't think I would like it as much, I think there's a sincerity to the tragedy, you feel sympathy for frank. Frank is confused and aimless and purposeless. I got shivers from the ending because I felt for frank, regaining some sense of self-actualization. 

there's this louis ck joke that suddenly came to mind while writing this review where he's happy for trans people cuz they realize what's going on with them, and they get to fix it and how that's such an amazing gift. "To know what the fuck is wrong with you". I don't mean to construe frank finding out that they are actually a woman as someone trans finding out their true identity. But I think it's funny that throughout the book frank is enacting all this animal killing ritual, and killing his/her siblings and playing pretend soldier but underlying all that is just frustration at the fact that he/she feels half of an actual person only to figure out that it's just cuz his/her dad is just daft and weird.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, and Torture