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A review by n_ward
Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink
3.0
Kind of meh, kind of didn't like parts of it
As much as I like the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, I do have to admit that not everything about it is great. Certainly, there are parts of the podcast and Cecil himself that come off terribly, and sometimes the politics are too preachy.
But we're not here to talk about that.
Rather, we're here to talk about the first novel based on the show, a novel I made the unfortunate mistake of reading after having read the excellent backstory for the Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home. It's a long story that involve chronology and a desire for revenge that I'm not sure belongs to me or to the novel's protagonist.
This novel is not about that. It's not even about motherhood, despite the central relationships in it being a mother and her son, as well as the girl who has a lost relationship with her own mother. Rather, it's about community and weirdness and the sticky responsibility that comes with being a member of your community and what it means to be part of that.
A good premise, right?
Not that I can say they stuck the landing on the execution. While I did come to like the book by the third act, the first two are tedious to get through, and often I didn't like our main characters, so take from that what you will.
All in all, an interesting reading experience. Now on to the next one!
As much as I like the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, I do have to admit that not everything about it is great. Certainly, there are parts of the podcast and Cecil himself that come off terribly, and sometimes the politics are too preachy.
But we're not here to talk about that.
Rather, we're here to talk about the first novel based on the show, a novel I made the unfortunate mistake of reading after having read the excellent backstory for the Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home. It's a long story that involve chronology and a desire for revenge that I'm not sure belongs to me or to the novel's protagonist.
This novel is not about that. It's not even about motherhood, despite the central relationships in it being a mother and her son, as well as the girl who has a lost relationship with her own mother. Rather, it's about community and weirdness and the sticky responsibility that comes with being a member of your community and what it means to be part of that.
A good premise, right?
Not that I can say they stuck the landing on the execution. While I did come to like the book by the third act, the first two are tedious to get through, and often I didn't like our main characters, so take from that what you will.
All in all, an interesting reading experience. Now on to the next one!