Reviews with content warning for Sexism - The Wasp Factory

I loved it!
It is so scary just to be in the kid's mind!
I am so glad I got to read this book, it has been by far one of my favorite horror books I've ever read.
First, let's talk about the main character: Frank. OMG, he is scary! He is a kid and young adult, and a psycho in the same mind. The beliefs he holds in his head and the obsession he has with every single aspect of his life just scared me so much.
I was more scared to be in his mind that to read what was going on around him.
It scared me so much the line that took the story, from making us disgusted with this kid to actually understanding him. It was such a great story, I have never enjoyed that much being in the villain's mind.
Then his brother...OMG he is also scary! Every telephone call they have I will just get super scared. I was so tense until they hung up. The way the brother spoke made him sound even more unstable than Frank, and all we knew was that he was coming our way.
The only complaint I will have would be that the book kind of makes us think that the story will be about the encounter between Frank and his brother Eric. So during the entire book, I was waiting for these scenes to happen, and the resolution to this feels kind of rushed and super short. I was expecting more from this plotline.
But it was also interesting to get such an immersive sight of the protagonist's life. As I said before, it was impressive how we started hating him and then we understood.
I wasn't expecting such a good plot twist. I thought the story was going to go in another direction, but WOW. It really changed my perspective toward the main character and made me question if someone could really get that evil for the same reason as he did.
It was a great book. My mind was completely blown away. I give it 5 stars easily.

Content Warnings

laurengeorgia's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

2.5

Content Warnings

hkantarek's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Quickly, you get immersed into the violent mind of a budding psychopath. The flashbacks are the highlights of the book with the main story being repetitive and monotonous when it isn't being gruesome or shocking. Perception of the book largely depends on the reader's ability to find the comical in violence and sexism.

The ending was intriguing yet largely out of left field with the rest of the book. I found Paul's death to be the most upsetting part of the book yet one of the most redeeming in terms of writing. Also, the maggot brain incident will not be forgotten.

Content Warnings