The Wasp Factory (1984) by Iain Banks. I've sold plenty of books by Banks over the years but never read him until now. This is one wild ride through the childhood and teenhood of one Frank Cauldhaume, who lives with his father a semi-secluded life on an island on the Scottish coast. The threat of his brother Eric, who is locked away in a mental institution, returning home after escaping looms over the narrative. That's on top of the three secret murders Frank has committed as a child and the strange series of personal religious rituals he enacts to keep things in order. At times it's a difficult read, but we are always "brought back" to center by dark and absurdist humor. For me, there are flavors of Catcher in the Rye (Salinger) and Aberration of Starlight / Red the Fiend (Sorrentino) in the mix.
I'm looking forward to reading more novels by Banks.
Read via Libby.
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