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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a mystery where no loose ends are tied. It’s meandering and disjointed. But darnielle has a way of writing that just keeps the page turning. Is it sinister? Is it just sad? There’s no real conclusion but it’s not dissatisfying.
I think John Darnielle is my new favourite author.
I think John Darnielle is my new favourite author.
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So confusing to me and wished DNF it lol was creepy at first and loved that but then went down hill from there
fast-paced
i’m just really confused. i don’t get what the plot was. i don’t get why it was set up to be so unsettling and then ended kind of nowhere? why bother with an unsettling plot if it’s not even unsettling at all?
the writing’s not bad, but clearly Darnielle had no idea how to plot this or how to approach it. yeah. i am super confused, and i don’t get any of it. but it wasn’t terrible? it stressed me out. so directionless and vague.
the writing’s not bad, but clearly Darnielle had no idea how to plot this or how to approach it. yeah. i am super confused, and i don’t get any of it. but it wasn’t terrible? it stressed me out. so directionless and vague.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel strongly about this book but in two different ways. I felt so moved by John Darnielle’s writing, his prose is written so eloquently and he moves the plot along in a very thoughtful way that almost confuses you, which is kind of where my opinion splits. I loved the movie rental involvement, it makes for such a fun way of creating internal conflict in the main character’s life. Steve Heldt is a character I really cherish and appreciated seeing his vulnerable side throughout the time we knew him. Among the things I didn’t love about this book are the ways characters interact and talk with each other, not because it’s unrealistic it’s just like…they’re all frustrating people to deal with because they won’t say what they mean. I found the narration to be confusing at times and I think that was the point, but sometimes I felt like I had no idea what was happening and if I actually knew what happened. Ultimately I felt like the end was incredibly cheeky, and I didn’t love that our questions weren’t answered. I discussed the book with a friend and they said that having some knowledge about cult deprogramming might have been useful to understanding, which I would certainly have to agree with.
I enjoyed this book. I liked that it was creepy, that it had a sometimes omniscient narrator, that it was written in 2017, that it was pretty short. There is a line that talks about two of the characters having a comforting interaction with each other on one of the tapes, and that that tape is in a thrift store and no one would ever watch it. And I think it’s about grief and missing someone who has left and you can’t get them back. I wish I understood that part a little better.