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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
I almost feel like I need to read this again, because my first pass, I got to the end (audiobook) and literally said aloud, "Wait. It's over?"
I just finished this and I'm kind of angry at it but I'm giving it two stars because there were some interesting and heartbreaking things here, though I know I should let it sit with me for a bit before I can really know how I feel. My biggest issue is with the structure: the jumping around seems to be an attempt to build suspense or wonder, but instead it felt so jerky, the momentum building and then slamming to a halt when suddenly the focus is on an earlier time or completely different people. There also may be plot holes or I may have missed some things, both highly possible.
I have been a huge fan of Darnielle's band, The Mountain Goats. Still, there is a song on a later album that drives me crazy because the narrator of the song seems to be describing a movie or something he's watching, in detail, but without context or purpose. The last 70 pages of this that song was stuck in my head, which I eventually figured out was my brain trying to warn me that the same lack of purpose was starting to reveal itself here.
I have been a huge fan of Darnielle's band, The Mountain Goats. Still, there is a song on a later album that drives me crazy because the narrator of the song seems to be describing a movie or something he's watching, in detail, but without context or purpose. The last 70 pages of this that song was stuck in my head, which I eventually figured out was my brain trying to warn me that the same lack of purpose was starting to reveal itself here.
I love the direction it was headed but I feel like this book edged me so hard. Give me more about the cult!!!!!!!!!
So here’s the thing... if you’ve ever lived in the Midwest, you know that we don’t say things directly. We talk about sports or food or we’ll eat food and drink beer or watch movies just to avoid talking to one another. Universal Harvester really understands that and runs with it. This very midwestern trait also makes it difficult to process tough emotions like grief, which you can see across time and through characters in this book.
I saw one review that said the author loved his characters too much, but I think, really, he had a deep understanding for this complicated midwestern sadness.
At the end, part of me really wished that the author would just come out and say, “Lisa did what she did because of a, b, and c. Here’s what she hoped to get out of it.” But part of me realized that this would defeat the entire premise of folks dealing with things without really dealing with them, or perhaps without even understanding that they were dealing with something. We midwesterners are not a very self-aware people. This book understood that part of our culture.
I saw one review that said the author loved his characters too much, but I think, really, he had a deep understanding for this complicated midwestern sadness.
At the end, part of me really wished that the author would just come out and say, “Lisa did what she did because of a, b, and c. Here’s what she hoped to get out of it.” But part of me realized that this would defeat the entire premise of folks dealing with things without really dealing with them, or perhaps without even understanding that they were dealing with something. We midwesterners are not a very self-aware people. This book understood that part of our culture.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
I wanted to like this book, I really did. I just found it to be rather dull and lacking a point in the overall plot. I suppose I was awaiting some monster or something to happen and instead you get these clues littered throughout the story where if you miss a detail you become lost in the grand scheme of what actually happens. I suppose I was expecting some kind of Twilight Zone twist and instead I got the narrator debating on how to tell the story throughout its progression.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The first part of the book reads like a mystery, but once part two begins, the whole thing falls apart for me. I'm usually a fan of ambiguous endings, but when it follows an entire book of uncertainty, I just felt unsatisfied.
I liked this! I love books that depict how a simple life can be beautiful and satisfying, so I enjoyed the setting. As a story I think it wasn't without flaws, but brought up interesting ideas about loss, memory, and idea of being forgotten.
I was so excited for a short horror book - so many promises from the blurbs of unease and growing dread. It bounces around so much that honestly, I’m not quite sure what actually happens. Largely disappointing and not a good read.