Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As eerie as his first novel, Wolf in White Van. It stays enigmatic until very nearly the final page. John Darnielle writes beautifully about the small-town dichotomy of isolation combined with a claustrophobia born of knowing every single person you see every day. I love how he narrates at times like the Stage Manager in Our Town, musing on how the story might have gone.
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well written and interesting...the late '90s setting felt true and organic to the characters and story, not piped in for nostalgia's sake. The plot was pretty captivating, though I struggled a bit with the pacing - switching into a more philosophical mode - and the POV shift.
Confusing at first (a narrative device, not a bad thing), unsettling always (another positive), great writing.
I'm not sure I'm going to run around recommending it but in hindsight, I appreciate what he did with the story. The story is told in an intentionally roundabout way of shifting perspectives that is new to me and I'm glad to have experienced it.
I'm not sure I'm going to run around recommending it but in hindsight, I appreciate what he did with the story. The story is told in an intentionally roundabout way of shifting perspectives that is new to me and I'm glad to have experienced it.
Honestly, it started out way spookier than the rest of the book supported. I never really got the "point" of it.
I'm not sure that I loved this as much as I did Wolf in White Van, but John Darnielle is such a smart and unique writer. I didn't even know what this book was really about until the last page — that's quite a feat.
beautiful writing punctuated by observations on life that made my jaw drop, but nothing. happened. it all just felt disjointed, disconnected. if i hadn’t been reading this with lover i probably would’ve stopped lol but enjoyed sharing an experience with her.
mysterious
reflective
Universal Harvester is an eerie and beautiful novel about grief. I am blown away by Darnielle's writing and storytelling. Do not expect this to be a typical horror or thriller. This is a novel I will come back to. It absolutely deserves to be reread.