I picked up this book because I saw it included in a list of most disturbing books.  At first, I couldn’t figure out why.  In the beginning, I found it to be a little overly-detailed (really, I don’t need to know the details of the main character’s bathroom habits, especially if they don’t add anything to the story).  As the story progressed, I understood a bit more.  It’s a tale about a very fucked up individual who does a lot of very fucked up things.  Sadly, though, there’s not much more of a plot than that, and The Wasp Factory just kinda fizzles out like a dud firecracker.

Frank Cauldhamme lives alone with his father on an island.  Sometimes he goes into town to buy supplies, or to get drunk with his dwarf friend Jamie.  But for the most part he occupies himself with rituals.  Checking and refreshing his sacrifice poles.  Regular warfare against the rabbit population.  And a daily sacrifice to The Factory, which may warn him of impending danger.  Frank’s routine is interrupted when he hears of his brother’s escape from the insane asylum a few towns over.  As he prepares for his brother’s return, Frank discovers things that may forever change the way he sees the world and himself.

The Wasp Factory was slow to get going, and didn’t really start holding my attention until about 3/4 of the way through the book.  And though it did get a little more exciting toward the end, it doesn’t make up for the lack of plot.  There are a lot of flashbacks, a lot of talk about Frank’s personal philosophy, and a lot of explanation of his bizarre rituals.  But the only progressing thread throughout the book is the slow journey of Frank’s brother Eric, which the reader only hears about in short phone calls.  And even that part of the story, which you’re expecting to come to some spectacular climax, has almost no payoff.

I enjoyed some of the ironies of the story. How the narrator, an individual with some deep-seated mental issues, regularly refers to his disturbed brother as insane. Also, the little detail of the narrator’s hatred for women, and how it clashes with his eventual discovery of his true identity.

Overall, The Wasp Factory was well-written and memorable, though I would have enjoyed it more if it had had more relevant plot substance.