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farrahsoa's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Good theme, underwhelming execution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Death
sshabein's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked Darnielle's WOLF IN WHITE VAN better, but this is also very inventive and interesting. It was never anything I expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Sexual assault
gia0203's review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.0
loose threads that are never quite pulled together. seeds that don’t quite bloom. this was an intriguing and thoughtful look at the morality of true crime, but it ultimately tries to do too much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
knitterscasket's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
yrioona's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Weighed down a bit by metanarrative, deliberate repetition, and high concept touches (really could've done without the barely-relevant medieval interlude in fake gothic font), and treading some overly familiar ground as far as JD's themes and settings, but still really compelling and complex. It has a skillfully done puzzle-box/labyrinth structure that leads you through without spelling things out too much, teasing a straightforward narrative about troubled teens resorting to violence, but then gradually zooming out to reveal
a kind of class-conscious existential horror story about what happens when you apply compassion and imagination to the true crime genre. I picked this up because I'm a mountain goats fan and WIWV was pretty ok, but this is a huge step up from WIWV and it made me look forward to what's next. Pretty incredible what this guy can do! Wish he would write some more interesting women characters.
a kind of class-conscious existential horror story about what happens when you apply compassion and imagination to the true crime genre. I picked this up because I'm a mountain goats fan and WIWV was pretty ok, but this is a huge step up from WIWV and it made me look forward to what's next. Pretty incredible what this guy can do! Wish he would write some more interesting women characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
jo_schmo's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Minor: Forced institutionalization
heebymeg's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
I think this book will not be good if you go into it with preconceived ideas of what it is about and what should happen in it. It’s not a horror novel, true crime, or murder mystery. It’s a commentary and you have to be paying attention to that string of thought throughout the whole thing, without getting distracted or tempted by the other trails.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child abuse
defeating_my_demons's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Murder, Blood, Gore, Child death, Death, and Sexual content
criticalgayze's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Merriam-Webster defines stewardship as "the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially : the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care."
Sorry to start this off like an essay, but it's what a book like this deserves.
Stewardship is really what is at the heart of a book. What does it mean to take care of something? A child, a piece of land, (maybe most especially) a story? Even more specifically, a story you have not been trusted to tell but rather named yourself the teller of.
Throughout the book, Gage Chandler wrestles with this moral quandary. How do you tend to something that may or may not be considered "yours?" Is there a healthy way to do such a thing, or is there only the best way you know how? Are you allowed to do such a thing, and once you've made the choice to do it anyway, what is the best way to validate or redeem your choice?
This book is art. The book is beautiful the whole way throughout, but when Darnielle inverts the reader's understanding in the last 15 pages, it becomes elevated to the realm of the truly spectacular.
Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Sorry to start this off like an essay, but it's what a book like this deserves.
Stewardship is really what is at the heart of a book. What does it mean to take care of something? A child, a piece of land, (maybe most especially) a story? Even more specifically, a story you have not been trusted to tell but rather named yourself the teller of.
Throughout the book, Gage Chandler wrestles with this moral quandary. How do you tend to something that may or may not be considered "yours?" Is there a healthy way to do such a thing, or is there only the best way you know how? Are you allowed to do such a thing, and once you've made the choice to do it anyway, what is the best way to validate or redeem your choice?
This book is art. The book is beautiful the whole way throughout, but when Darnielle inverts the reader's understanding in the last 15 pages, it becomes elevated to the realm of the truly spectacular.
Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Blood, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Physical abuse
br00k3a133n's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Oh gosh. So I loved the format of this and the twists and turns it took, especially in the end....but the sections with the "olde English" writing was hard for me. On one hand to parse and on the other to physically read. The whole section (that as far as I can tell was an insert to contextualize some of the themes) "Song of Gorbonian", was printed in a near incomprehensible font. I basically ended up having to just skip it and hope for the best.
I want to love this more, but the detrators really were too strong.
I want to love this more, but the detrators really were too strong.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Murder