The Wasp Factory was the first novel by Scottish writer Iain Banks. It was published in 1984. It is written from a first person perspective, told by sixteen-year-old Frank Cauldhame, describing his childhood and all that remains of it. Frank observes many shamanistic rituals of his own invention, and it is soon revealed that Frank was the perpetrator of three deaths within his family - all other children and all before he reached the age of ten. As the novel develops, his brother's escape from a mental hospital and impending return lead on to a violent ending and a twist that undermines all... that Frank believed about himself. The 'Wasp Factory' of the title is a huge clock face encased in a glass box and salvaged from the local dump. Behind each of the 12 numerals is a trap which leads to a different ritual death for the wasp that Frank puts into the hole at the center within tubes. Frank believes the death 'chosen' by the wasp predicts something about the future. There are also Sacrifice Poles, upon which hang the bodies and heads of larger animals, such as seagulls, that Frank has killed and other sacred items.
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| Author: | Iain Banks |
| Genre: | Novel, Fiction |
| Year published: | 1984 |
| Number of editions: | 12 |