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jterk221's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Car accident
moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
I read the first third or so of this a couple of years ago and stopped just because life happened. I picked up The audiobook on a whim and read it all in one night and it was quite the time.
I'm not sure that I've totally wrapped my head around the book completely. This strange story is told going between characters and between times. There were fourth wall breaks and explorations of how things may have gone differently, as well as insight on grief and memory. Thematically, there are a lot of profound things to unpack. However, if you are a plot person, you will come out of it far more unsettled that I am. There are a lot of everyday "plotless" points in order to (in theory) discover what is behind the mystery of the tapes.
I feel like this is one I'm going to have to process and maybe reread to totally get it (and there were enough compelling bits that I would like to). I had an interesting time with it nonetheless.
I'm not sure that I've totally wrapped my head around the book completely. This strange story is told going between characters and between times. There were fourth wall breaks and explorations of how things may have gone differently, as well as insight on grief and memory. Thematically, there are a lot of profound things to unpack. However, if you are a plot person, you will come out of it far more unsettled that I am. There are a lot of everyday "plotless" points in order to (in theory) discover what is behind the mystery of the tapes.
I feel like this is one I'm going to have to process and maybe reread to totally get it (and there were enough compelling bits that I would like to). I had an interesting time with it nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Torture, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Eating disorder, and Abandonment
Parental abandonment, car crashes, emotionally disturbing scenes,kessejeen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Mental illness, Death of parent, Death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
judassilver's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
Minor: Eating disorder
readthesparrow's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I have... complex feelings about this book.
It was labeled as horror on the library's site, and after reading through the description, I assumed the same. It's not horror, though. No, certainly not.
I do love the story, and I'm very glad I listened to it. It's got some very interesting ruminations on grief, memory, and loss, particularly in a small town context. I liked all the characters (except the new family at the end--not that I disliked them, but more so that they were part of an unsatisfactory end ), especially as they all felt deeply, deeply real. Of the issues I have with this novel, character writing was not one of them.
My issue is that the narrative holds onto revealing *anything* about Lisa and the truth of the tapes for so long that it becomes tiresome. I was so ready for things to wrap up at the end of section two, but was more than a little annoyed to see that there was still an hour and a half left, then even more annoyed when there was a jump to the future with a whole new family of people.
Yes, this time skip is narratively thematic, and yes, it does have some interesting stuff on the theme of loss and remembrance.But those final act reveals come via an infodump by Lisa which reveals she's been the (possibly part time?) narrator all along. Instead of getting to discover this conclusion alongside Jeremy--or even get to experience what he experiences during the farmhouse interrogation--we are randomly ripped to another time, painstakingly introduced to four new people, those four new people find the tapes and figure out a little about them. We get to see what happened to Jeremy, which for some reason comes now, not earlier. Then the new guys wander offstage while Lisa mops the story up all clean in a final narration that reveals that the tapes were of a cult deprogramming.
I want to like this book. I loved the prose and the characters, and it hits a lot of themes/topics I love;small towns, religion/cults of personality, complex but deeply loving family dynamics, VHS and found footage, and loss and grief . But the narrative's tendency to skirt around actually telling the story was growing to overstay its welcome at about 70%. Events (such as the Jeremy tape and anything new about the actual content of the tapes) were not shown to to the reader for no discernible reason other than an attempt at mystery, which is a risky move and was not executed well here.
The summary focuses pretty hard on the weird spliced footage moment. While that is the spark that begins the novel, and the footage is a thorough line of the novel, that creepy footage is not the main focus of the novel at all, even when it is the primary plot point on the page.
Also, it was a little hard to follow at times. But that is likely because I was listening on audiobook (which I would actually recommend; it's read by the author, who has a lovely voice).
It was labeled as horror on the library's site, and after reading through the description, I assumed the same. It's not horror, though. No, certainly not.
I do love the story, and I'm very glad I listened to it. It's got some very interesting ruminations on grief, memory, and loss, particularly in a small town context. I liked all the characters (except
My issue is that the narrative holds onto revealing *anything* about Lisa and the truth of the tapes for so long that it becomes tiresome. I was so ready for things to wrap up at the end of section two, but was more than a little annoyed to see that there was still an hour and a half left, then even more annoyed when there was a jump to the future with a whole new family of people.
Yes, this time skip is narratively thematic, and yes, it does have some interesting stuff on the theme of loss and remembrance.
I want to like this book. I loved the prose and the characters, and it hits a lot of themes/topics I love;
The summary focuses pretty hard on the weird spliced footage moment. While that is the spark that begins the novel, and the footage is a thorough line of the novel, that creepy footage is not the main focus of the novel at all, even when it is the primary plot point on the page.
Also, it was a little hard to follow at times. But that is likely because I was listening on audiobook (which I would actually recommend; it's read by the author, who has a lovely voice).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
necroplasm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
all i can really say about this book is that it's definitely the kind of story you'd expect to see from the guy that wrote no children! i wasn't expecting it to be Like That going into it and i wasn't really prepared for all that but it's a great read if you want to feel sad and have a slight existential crisis 👍
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Car accident
Moderate: Blood and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol
mikkitooloud's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Death of parent, and Car accident
retswerb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
If you’re looking for a horror book, Universal Harvester probably wont scratch that itch. It’s creepy, and there’s a bit of a mystery, but it’s really about people and a place and grief and relationships - observed by someone who loves that place and respects those people and their griefs and understands their relationships. Darnielle’s authorial voice is bound to be polarizing; I found it riveting. This one will stick with me for a bit.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Car accident, and Mental illness
atiek's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Grief
julianship's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.5 stars, but I would still recommend it for fans of found fiction or people who really loved reading creepypastas back in the day.
Anyone who's listened to a Mountain Goats song knows Darnielle is masterful at evoking an emotional landscape in very little room, and Universal Harvester doesn't disappoint on that front! It's full of quiet moments of character and deeply unsettling images. The whole book has an ache to it, and the relationship between Jeremy and his dad is particularly evocative.
That being said, the plot and structure don't deliver on the premise (mysteriously edited video tapes show up in the VHS rental store of a small town) and writing's initial promise, which is a shame. I don't mind a nontraditional narrative - in fact I often really love them! But parts of this feel rambling, and the switch to first person at the end doesn't pay off the way I really would like it to.
Anyone who's listened to a Mountain Goats song knows Darnielle is masterful at evoking an emotional landscape in very little room, and Universal Harvester doesn't disappoint on that front! It's full of quiet moments of character and deeply unsettling images. The whole book has an ache to it, and the relationship between Jeremy and his dad is particularly evocative.
That being said, the plot and structure don't deliver on the premise (mysteriously edited video tapes show up in the VHS rental store of a small town) and writing's initial promise, which is a shame. I don't mind a nontraditional narrative - in fact I often really love them! But parts of this feel rambling, and the switch to first person at the end doesn't pay off the way I really would like it to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Car accident