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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
slow-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
It has been many, many years since I found this slim novel on sale in the cramped 'Cult Book' section of my local bookstore, so while my recollections of it are a little faded, the impression it's left of me is as strong as ever. Right now, in fact, my copy is sitting under a dusty pile of paperbacks on the other side of Dublin, but I can still remember a cover quote which claimed that all good ghost stories are sad ones at their core.
If so, this must be the best ghost story I've ever read, because the title alone sucks me right back into its autumnal pages.
The narrative of The Night Country follows a small group of teenage ghosts who died in a car accident. They're still floating around their hometown, watching their families, school friends and other familiars eke out their existences in the living realm. The style is more literary than genre-specific, so don't expect them to haunt their loved ones or seek revenge on the world that let them down. What you'll find is a muted portrait of a couple of kids who just got a rotten deal.
I'm glad the book has a good score on Goodreads. I'd have thought a lot of people would find it dull. The ghosts are lonely, real people who are just as boring as the rest of us. It just so happens they were unfortunate enough to die young. Given the stories popularity, I think that Stewart O'Nan must have struck upon something honest in the way he focuses on the banalities of having been apart of a tragedy, whether as a victim or an onlooker, and I highly recommend picking up a copy if you want to experience something melancholy but true.
If so, this must be the best ghost story I've ever read, because the title alone sucks me right back into its autumnal pages.
The narrative of The Night Country follows a small group of teenage ghosts who died in a car accident. They're still floating around their hometown, watching their families, school friends and other familiars eke out their existences in the living realm. The style is more literary than genre-specific, so don't expect them to haunt their loved ones or seek revenge on the world that let them down. What you'll find is a muted portrait of a couple of kids who just got a rotten deal.
I'm glad the book has a good score on Goodreads. I'd have thought a lot of people would find it dull. The ghosts are lonely, real people who are just as boring as the rest of us. It just so happens they were unfortunate enough to die young. Given the stories popularity, I think that Stewart O'Nan must have struck upon something honest in the way he focuses on the banalities of having been apart of a tragedy, whether as a victim or an onlooker, and I highly recommend picking up a copy if you want to experience something melancholy but true.
Given that this book is narrated by ghosts, it's a bad pun to say it's a haunting story, but that's exactly the right word. I found myself thinking about this book for days and days after I read it.
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like this is a really interesting idea that just didn't actually get executed well for me at all. On the surface? Dead kids telling me about what happened before and after they died and what went on? Cool! The weird second hand way they tell me everything that was happening and then the way that they kept bickering amongst themselves, however, made it impossible for me to track the damn plot to the book. Vibes wise? Alright. Story wise? Nah, not for me, mostly because I have no idea what the fuck happened besides some kids dying.
Also, not marking spoilers because it's in the plot description? So everything I know about this book I basically could've gotten from the plot description besides the fact that there's a kid named Toe who's sassy...
Also, not marking spoilers because it's in the plot description? So everything I know about this book I basically could've gotten from the plot description besides the fact that there's a kid named Toe who's sassy...
Meh. A Halloween horror story without a soul. The writing is jerky because it is so colloquial, so wedded to spoken language. This also makes description hard to follow. The characters are far from sympathetic, particularly the narrators and their surviving peers. I ended up not caring much about the secret of their ending, which is finally revealed in the last pages. This book just lacks the humanity that made Last Night at the Lobster so compelling, or the evocative writing.
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Titulo: Noche de difuntos
Autor: Stewart O'Nan
Año publicado: 2003
Motivo de lectura: #PopSugarReadingChallenge2023
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Idioma: Español
Puntuacion: 1/5
No pierdan el tiempo. No se entiende nada el inicio de la historia, al autor le lleva 200 paginas acomodar la historia, y para entonces Stewart O'Nan nunca logra generar interes en primer lugar, asi que todo lo que ocurre realmente no importa.
Esto se asemeja a cuando alguien te cuenta una situacion, pero no te da contexto ni detalles, si no estuviste en la situacion, obviamente no entenderas nada.
Esta clase de basura puede meterte en un paro lector en un abrir y cerrar de ojos..
Autor: Stewart O'Nan
Año publicado: 2003
Motivo de lectura: #PopSugarReadingChallenge2023
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Idioma: Español
Puntuacion: 1/5
No pierdan el tiempo. No se entiende nada el inicio de la historia, al autor le lleva 200 paginas acomodar la historia, y para entonces Stewart O'Nan nunca logra generar interes en primer lugar, asi que todo lo que ocurre realmente no importa.
Esto se asemeja a cuando alguien te cuenta una situacion, pero no te da contexto ni detalles, si no estuviste en la situacion, obviamente no entenderas nada.
Esta clase de basura puede meterte en un paro lector en un abrir y cerrar de ojos..
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read this last Halloween and loved it. So creepy.