![]() ![]() He also tells us nonchalantly that he has killed three people, but that this was a phase that he had grown out of. We soon see how Frank tortures and kills animals, scenes that make a difficult read as there seems to be no empathy nor any form of love for his fellow creatures in Frank, just a wish to hurt, violate and destroy. ![]() We don’t have to wait long for an answer. The question arises what his father is alluding to. His father treats him with contempt, which is apparent early in the novel when he tells Frank that it should be him and not his brother who is in hospital. Frank appears to grow up without friends or a real community. Living on a Scottish island together with his father, a feeling of isolation and desolation permeates the novel. In this instance, it made me feel trapped due to the nature of how Frank’s mind works. ![]() As a result, we are in Frank’s head and can’t escape from his thoughts. The story is told by sixteen-year-old Frank in the first person. The novel was first published in 1984 and makes for an uncanny reading experience. ![]() I had first come across it many years ago when I ran a focus group with a reading group in Sheffield public libraries and the group animatedly discussed this novel prior to that. A few weeks ago, I read the late Iain Banks’s well-known novel, The Wasp Factory. ![]()
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