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A review by ruminations_reverie
The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig
3.0
This book has been on my shelf for YEARS. It was always something I knew I wanted to read from an author that has a lot of great ideas and potential. I recently read a blog post by Wendig from around the time of release for this book in which he states that the premise for this novel is "hard to pitch". I think that is a perfect statement. This book is a culmination of a lot of ideas, both fantastical and unsettling, and is overly ambitious. In the end it was a good novel that was a tad bit too long.
Immediately upon reading the first chapter of this book I was able to get a sense for Wendig's style. The writing, language, and tone are unique and pronounced. I knew from those opening pages that I wasn't going to struggle with the writing, however, it was evident that the story would be complex and involved. Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chobosky was the first comparison that came to mind and one that I think holds quite true. The nature of the horror feels dark and grand. I think another great comp would be the show Dark on Netflix. It plays with time, space, and has a cosmic horror feel to it.
I can see how this could be a divisive read. It will likely not be an easy read for most. The pacing is slower, despite the short chapters, (BTW I love short chapters. Give me a 3-5 page chapter ALL DAY!) and while I ultimately enjoyed the book, I think some of the complaints are valid and that is why I landed on a 3 star rating. I would recommend this book to readers who have liked the comps that I mentioned above, and for those who are willing to exercise some patience in tackling this more complex horror novel. This is not your standard surface-level horror.
Immediately upon reading the first chapter of this book I was able to get a sense for Wendig's style. The writing, language, and tone are unique and pronounced. I knew from those opening pages that I wasn't going to struggle with the writing, however, it was evident that the story would be complex and involved. Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chobosky was the first comparison that came to mind and one that I think holds quite true. The nature of the horror feels dark and grand. I think another great comp would be the show Dark on Netflix. It plays with time, space, and has a cosmic horror feel to it.
I can see how this could be a divisive read. It will likely not be an easy read for most. The pacing is slower, despite the short chapters, (BTW I love short chapters. Give me a 3-5 page chapter ALL DAY!) and while I ultimately enjoyed the book, I think some of the complaints are valid and that is why I landed on a 3 star rating. I would recommend this book to readers who have liked the comps that I mentioned above, and for those who are willing to exercise some patience in tackling this more complex horror novel. This is not your standard surface-level horror.