When we were staying in Cranbrook, I realised that I was without book. Not ideal. By happy chance there was an Oxfam store opposite our hotel, and so I popped in and picked one up. The choice was The Wasp Factory, a copy of which was already in the library at home, but for the sake of 99p I didn't mind.
Just finished it, and fair to say that it was a little peculiar, but very Iain Banks from the outset (having only read some of his later books so far). I particularly enjoyed the fact that, in the later edition that I'd picked up, he'd decided to include extracts from some of the initial reviews when it was first published, including lines such as this from The Irish Times: "The majority of the literate public will be relieved that only reviewers are obliged to look at any of it", only to be topped by this from The Times: "Perhaps it is all a joke, meant to fool literary London into respect for rubbish."