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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
John Darnielle hooks you in but unfortunately never delivers. I left unsatisfied
I really liked the first part, but ultimately, I liked his first book way more.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
fast-paced
I really enjoyed reading this thriller , as long as you're wiling to include in "enjoyed" moments in the first hundred pages or so when I had to put the book down because it was giving me intense, disturbing visions from its partial descriptions of what characters see on the VCR tapes they watch. It's a strange story, told in a kind of jumbled way-- we've got an intrusive narrator and a couple POV characters that we shift between, and Darnille is very deliberate in how he sets out the story to keep us engaged but also deferring the moments of confrontation for us (for example, when does the house in Collins burn?). And there's some philosophical speculation, about how the story might play out differently in other quarters of the multiverse.
So, in short, this isn't a traditional thriller, where we find out just what's happening and in revealing it, the story of finding those answers kind of evaporates. Instead, the story of the discovery wants to be the story, as Darnielle reaches for some larger metaphor-- what is the universal harvester, and what is being harvested? How do people raised in the midwest really deal with their isolation and the choice to not move someplace bigger. So, there's a level of thematic ambition here that's interesting, even if I'm not convinced it really comes together.
The weirder thing, which maybe detracted from my enjoyment, when I finished the book, is this suspicion that all the cuts and elisions and jumps in the story conceal that there's not much there there. that the story that we are revealing ain't shit, y'know? It feels like maybe, there are lots of jump cuts but there's no monster-- it's all us jumping at shadows and Darnielle saying, oh you're such cowards. Not with that scorn, but there's a definite bait and switch, where he's using the elements of the thriller disingenuously to lead us into deeper thematic waters, and then doesn't quite stick the landing. Still, obviously, I liked it and it's a very quick, gripping read.
So, in short, this isn't a traditional thriller, where we find out just what's happening and in revealing it, the story of finding those answers kind of evaporates. Instead, the story of the discovery wants to be the story, as Darnielle reaches for some larger metaphor-- what is the universal harvester, and what is being harvested? How do people raised in the midwest really deal with their isolation and the choice to not move someplace bigger. So, there's a level of thematic ambition here that's interesting, even if I'm not convinced it really comes together.
The weirder thing, which maybe detracted from my enjoyment, when I finished the book, is this suspicion that all the cuts and elisions and jumps in the story conceal that there's not much there there. that the story that we are revealing ain't shit, y'know? It feels like maybe, there are lots of jump cuts but there's no monster-- it's all us jumping at shadows and Darnielle saying, oh you're such cowards. Not with that scorn, but there's a definite bait and switch, where he's using the elements of the thriller disingenuously to lead us into deeper thematic waters, and then doesn't quite stick the landing. Still, obviously, I liked it and it's a very quick, gripping read.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
3.5 stars
I enjoyed the concept of the story, but I have learned that I am really not a huge fan of Darnielle's meandering writing style. If I am going to read another of his books, I will make sure it is an audio book. His sentences go on forever and and bounce around a little bit before settling on one idea. He also has a very romantic, flowery way of writing that feels overly wordy, which seems like an oxymoron since his novels are never really that long.
I enjoyed the concept of the story, but I have learned that I am really not a huge fan of Darnielle's meandering writing style. If I am going to read another of his books, I will make sure it is an audio book. His sentences go on forever and and bounce around a little bit before settling on one idea. He also has a very romantic, flowery way of writing that feels overly wordy, which seems like an oxymoron since his novels are never really that long.
The writing is gripping and immersive but the horror stops halfway through the book and the plot gets lost in too many directional changes.