Reviews - Wolf in White Van

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1.39k reviews for:

Wolf in White Van

John Darnielle

3.74 AVERAGE

apow's review against another edition

4.0

dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

orangenblu's review against another edition

3.0

This reminded me of a modern The Catcher in the Rye. I enjoyed it much more, though.

maayasaurus's review against another edition

3.0

I don't know.

My biggest struggle here was definitely with the narration which was monotone and rushed and I found myself having the hardest time paying attention to this story with this unique format that I was fully enamored with before even getting into it.

I don't know.

The more I think about it, I think maybe it's actually genius. A character like Sean is the kind of person who eventually comes to do a horrible thing usually due to feeling unheard and misunderstood. And then here I was, some outsider having a hard time really listening to and understanding his story.

But then I looked up live readings by the author (who narrates this book) and it was a whole different experience. EMOTION was present while the voice of the character wasn't sacrificed in any way. So I know that it's possible for both to happen at the same time. But why not in the recording of the audiobook then?

I really wanted to love this book. I did enjoy it quite a bit, but it's hard to LOVE a book that hardly wants to stick in your mind at all as you're making an effort to listen to it intently. I wonder if a reread, next time with a text copy, would go over better.

tjnackos's review against another edition

4.0

I had a love-hate relationship with this book. It was well written but was deeply dark and disturbing and made me cry. It was heart-wrenching but also hopeful. TW: depression, suicide attempt.

sarahfromonline's review against another edition

3.75

mysterious tense medium-paced

found it a bit hard to follow

wileyacez's review against another edition

4.0

I love the Mountain Goats in great part because of Darnielle's lyrics--there are SO many quotable bobs and bits in there. Since I've been using this music as comfort food through the pandemic, it seemed like an appropriate time to finally take a look at what the man does when he turns to writing fiction, and I was NOT disappointed at all. The main character, Sean, is disfigured due to a self inflicted gunshot since he was a teenager. He has an amazing understanding and tolerance for how this impacts on his life; he fully accepts his responsibility. There's a subplot about a legal case against him, but really the book is about him remembering all of the events before and after his disfigurement. Anyone who has experienced trauma should recognize the places Sean goes mentally to cope. Just like all of Darnielle's lyrics, there were so many things in this text to identify with.

lrmsreads's review against another edition

3.0

I was introduced to Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle because I started listening to the podcast Nate Corddry Presents: Reading Aloud and it was the first book club selection for the podcast. It's the story of Sean, a man disfigured as a teen, who creates a game based on an imaginary world and players are directed through the game by mailing Sean their moves and then getting their next clue/move mailed to them by Sean. Strangely the story moves between past and present while at the same time the overarching storyline moves from present to the past with the last chapter revealing the truth about the disfigurment. This was nothing like anything I've ever read before and I found myself deeply intrigued. But, when I turned the last page I felt myself dissatisfied because I needed more answers. What happened to the surviving member of a pair of players who took Sean's game to the real world and went too far? Did Sean participate in the new treatment to help graft him a new face? And most importantly, why? Why did he do it? Maybe my head doesn't have dark enough corners for this story, but I felt just as puzzled by Sean's motivations after the explanation as I was before. I look forward to listening to the episode of the podcast to hear what others thought of the book.

dementomstie's review against another edition

4.0

Wow, this is something else. I don't know what to say about it. It was very good, but it's so unlike anything that I usually read. Beautifully written and haunting in tone, it's not the most "fun" book I've read, but I'm glad I read it because it's very good. I don't expect to re-read it, but I look forward to talking about it with others or listen to people talk about it on podcasts.