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harvestmoonshine's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
True confession - I love a pretentious book if it's done well. I wrote a thesis on Lolita. House of Leaves is one of my favorite works. Pretention can work and can be interesting and illuminating and complicating.
This book is so pretentious. And not in good ways. This is very much a guy who thinks he is the smartest guy in the room writing through the voice of a protagonist who thinks he's the smartest guy in the room and trying to create layers and resonances in ways that come off as very self-involved and try hard. I'm also not quite sure what this wants to be - it's marketed as horror and moral panic, but it really isn't that. I appreciate that it is genre switching, but I don't feel like it ever establishes a clear identity (and don't even get me started on the identity/voice issue of the weird gothic font, medieval monster POV section).
I'm not saying there aren't any interesting threads in the novel - there are some questions about why we read true crime and what we want from it that are interesting. I think this came off even worse, though, because I just read Rebecca Makai's I Have Some Questions for You, which was a very interesting feminist interrogation of the true crime genre that laid the same tensions bare without all of the pretension and convolutedness present in this book.
This book is so pretentious. And not in good ways. This is very much a guy who thinks he is the smartest guy in the room writing through the voice of a protagonist who thinks he's the smartest guy in the room and trying to create layers and resonances in ways that come off as very self-involved and try hard. I'm also not quite sure what this wants to be - it's marketed as horror and moral panic, but it really isn't that. I appreciate that it is genre switching, but I don't feel like it ever establishes a clear identity (and don't even get me started on the identity/voice issue of the weird gothic font, medieval monster POV section).
I'm not saying there aren't any interesting threads in the novel - there are some questions about why we read true crime and what we want from it that are interesting. I think this came off even worse, though, because I just read Rebecca Makai's I Have Some Questions for You, which was a very interesting feminist interrogation of the true crime genre that laid the same tensions bare without all of the pretension and convolutedness present in this book.
mftasha's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
This book went nowhere and was very hard to follow. The characters were not interesting enough to keep the very thin plot afloat.
aidenskr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.25
In the most lengthy of his works, Darnielle is wrestling with his medium. The approach to his shorter novels, very effective for their purposes, would run out of steam in this story at the quarter mark. Here, he jerks back and forth through different stories, different lenses. He reveals and reveals again what is through the eyes of one character inhabiting many characters. He tells in long form what people often say in short: just one bad thing could happen and you would be that person on the street. Except maybe that isn't true for you and the gutting guilt inside overshadows everything you do have, and the irreplaceable people of your childhood lying in graves or slums haunt you, and you have to learn to ignore them or appease them. And it's about the ways we try to be safe.
sonofachipwich's review against another edition
"It is instead a book about restoring ancient temples to their proper estate."
Another moving, mysterious, open-ended book from Darnielle. He writes with such empathy for his characters, real or no. This is more than just an indictment of the ethics of true-crime media. It is a meditation on the act of storytelling and the necessary excision of detail and nuance that necessarily accompanies it. A mound of dirt is a castle to the one who made it, the one who has nothing else.
Another moving, mysterious, open-ended book from Darnielle. He writes with such empathy for his characters, real or no. This is more than just an indictment of the ethics of true-crime media. It is a meditation on the act of storytelling and the necessary excision of detail and nuance that necessarily accompanies it. A mound of dirt is a castle to the one who made it, the one who has nothing else.
hemmingwayhater's review against another edition
DNF
This is a classic case of the description of the book not matching the content. At the 34% mark, the book wasn’t giving me what I wanted and expected. The first part of the book is fine, but the second part is such a complete departure from what was already established, and was, quite frankly, confusing. By the time I adjusted to what was set in the second part, the third part came in an disrupted that. I wasn’t vibing. DNFed at 37%, almost three hours in.
This is a classic case of the description of the book not matching the content. At the 34% mark, the book wasn’t giving me what I wanted and expected. The first part of the book is fine, but the second part is such a complete departure from what was already established, and was, quite frankly, confusing. By the time I adjusted to what was set in the second part, the third part came in an disrupted that. I wasn’t vibing. DNFed at 37%, almost three hours in.
fawksydork's review against another edition
2.0
Honestly, it's a really well-written book. Darnielle is clearly talented.
But it felt like it was either unfocused/meandering, or like he had too many ideas to fit into one story.
And while what happens in it is horrific, it is not a horror novel. It is about a true crime writer, but the crimes have already happened long before his story takes place.
I was interested enough to read it through, but felt like I never saw a proper conflict or resolution.
But it felt like it was either unfocused/meandering, or like he had too many ideas to fit into one story.
And while what happens in it is horrific, it is not a horror novel. It is about a true crime writer, but the crimes have already happened long before his story takes place.
I was interested enough to read it through, but felt like I never saw a proper conflict or resolution.
thegreatworkbegins's review against another edition
4.0
This took some getting into but i really enjoyed the exploration of what we owe as a society and as individuals to those who have gone through traumatic events. It doesn't really give any answers but it sketches out the lay of the land
lharris6's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was not what I was expecting but honestly that made it better for me. It makes you think, really think about ethics and stories and what we perceive based on what we’re told.
jennareadsthings's review against another edition
1.0
It’s like… trying to be lurid? But it’s not? It’s just like 60 minutes or something for several random murders. But not really true crime either.
dylankanox's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very polarizing read for me and was not what I was really expecting from the advertising. There were some parts I absolutely loved and some things that I felt were not so great.
I flew through parts of this book. I read 100+ pages in one sitting and was so enthralled. There were other parts, however, that I couldn’t get through. I would think about picking up this book and instead read something else because I dreaded the thought of going back.
The stories our main character covered were captivating. I have seen some reviews wondering were the “horror” category came in, and I would argue it is in these story lines but agree this is not a classic “horror” book. I think there were themes throughout the book that weren’t apparent until the last few chapters. When it all comes together, I wouldn’t say it was necessarily satisfying. However, many pieces fell into place, and I thought harder about the deeper meaning that comes with the themes, including my previous comment about the stories covered being so captivating...
I think this book will be a good re-read in a few years. I will read it in a different mindset than the first time around to get to the deeper meanings.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the copy of the book and Mr. Darnielle for sharing his story with us.
I flew through parts of this book. I read 100+ pages in one sitting and was so enthralled. There were other parts, however, that I couldn’t get through. I would think about picking up this book and instead read something else because I dreaded the thought of going back.
The stories our main character covered were captivating. I have seen some reviews wondering were the “horror” category came in, and I would argue it is in these story lines but agree this is not a classic “horror” book. I think there were themes throughout the book that weren’t apparent until the last few chapters. When it all comes together, I wouldn’t say it was necessarily satisfying. However, many pieces fell into place, and I thought harder about the deeper meaning that comes with the themes, including my previous comment about the stories covered being so captivating...
I think this book will be a good re-read in a few years. I will read it in a different mindset than the first time around to get to the deeper meanings.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the copy of the book and Mr. Darnielle for sharing his story with us.