majestictrilobite's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical trauma
Minor: Sexual content
smalefowles's review against another edition
4.0
An extremely evocative book that does an amazing job of capturing how we explain our lives to ourselves, or at least, I found resonance in the lacunae and inexplicabilities in the narrator's past. It's definitely not a book that will appeal to everyone, but it's well crafted.
librarygirl94's review against another edition
3.0
This book was the first I can recall reading, perhaps ever, that posed quite a conundrum: I enjoyed the book and really wanted to get to the conclusion, but I didn't understand what was happening probably 85% of the time!
I felt sympathy for the main character and have enough of a gaming background to understand the idea of the Trace Italian game but overall couldn't determine how the various connections were being played out...what did several of the secondary characters have to do with the story? Even the conclusion left me with no feeling of resolution.
I'm anxious to read the reviews of others now in hopes of shedding some light on my confusion. I think I would recommend this book to certain friends but only to have someone else to decipher the riddle of storytelling with!
I felt sympathy for the main character and have enough of a gaming background to understand the idea of the Trace Italian game but overall couldn't determine how the various connections were being played out...what did several of the secondary characters have to do with the story? Even the conclusion left me with no feeling of resolution.
I'm anxious to read the reviews of others now in hopes of shedding some light on my confusion. I think I would recommend this book to certain friends but only to have someone else to decipher the riddle of storytelling with!
oneday_atbookland's review against another edition
4.0
This book is quiet but brutal and cryptic, just like John Darnielle's other writing. Like others have mentioned, it ends abruptly but I think that's the whole point. Those who have more of a personal connection to the story will enjoy it more, which is both a good and bad thing. Also if John Darnielle ever wanted to actually create Trace Italian I'd be the first person at the mailbox.
laydawgs's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hnwilliams13's review against another edition
3.0
Was wonderful until the end. What a fucking disappointment.
camsullivan's review against another edition
5.0
“I didn't feel like I'd really won anything, but I had come through the day no worse off than I'd come into it, which, as I have been telling myself for many years now, is a victory whether it feels like one or not.”
This line sticks with me and is something I wish younger me had internalized. Darnielle’s magic with language, evident from his music, translates just as well to the written word.
This is a book for the dreamers among us who never quite fit in. It’s for those who find joy and meaning in the fantasy worlds they create for themselves or that were created by kindred spirits. It’s for folks like me who struggled to find purpose and to cope with the “real world”.
I would have finished the book in a single sitting if I had the time. I was captivated by the vivid world Darnielle created. I’ll be thinking about it for weeks to come.
This line sticks with me and is something I wish younger me had internalized. Darnielle’s magic with language, evident from his music, translates just as well to the written word.
This is a book for the dreamers among us who never quite fit in. It’s for those who find joy and meaning in the fantasy worlds they create for themselves or that were created by kindred spirits. It’s for folks like me who struggled to find purpose and to cope with the “real world”.
I would have finished the book in a single sitting if I had the time. I was captivated by the vivid world Darnielle created. I’ll be thinking about it for weeks to come.
aaron_j136's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5
This was confusing and had a lot of open endings but the writing style was beautiful. It was interesting to read a book in reverse. I don't have any else to say as this book was odd.
This was confusing and had a lot of open endings but the writing style was beautiful. It was interesting to read a book in reverse. I don't have any else to say as this book was odd.
jbmorgan86's review against another edition
4.0
Wolf in White Van is the first true novel of John Darnielle (the magnificent singer songwriter who goes by the monicker "The Mountain Goats"). Anyone who listens to TMG knows that John Darnielle is a master wordsmith.
WIWV is about Sean Phillips, who underwent a gruesome, face-altering accident (or . . . incident?). At the beginning of the novel we are told that his face was disfigured in the incident but we are not told what the incident is until the end of the novel. Sean's disfigurement colors how sees, hears, and experiences the world around him. Sean becomes a Palahniuk-esque loner.
While recovering, he creates a game called Trace Italian. Sean creates an entire post-apocalyptic America where players are trying to get to a safe haven, the Trace Italian, in Kansas. Players write in to Sean and he tells them their next step.
Reality and the game begin to blend for Sean. Does the art follow reality or does the reality follow art?
*****Semi-Spoilers Below******
The title WIWV comes from a TBN show that Sean watches. Evangelists claim that rock n roll is the devil's music and the Dark Lord's messages are hidden in the music. The evangelist plays one album backwards and it says "Wolf in White Van." Sean thinks this is ludicrous. Even if there was a devil, why would he hide his messages? Isn't too much work?
The narrative style of WIWV is like the back-tracked record. Darnielle winds the story backwards as the story progresses. So . . . does that make Darnielle the devil? ;-)
WIWV is about Sean Phillips, who underwent a gruesome, face-altering accident (or . . . incident?). At the beginning of the novel we are told that his face was disfigured in the incident but we are not told what the incident is until the end of the novel. Sean's disfigurement colors how sees, hears, and experiences the world around him. Sean becomes a Palahniuk-esque loner.
While recovering, he creates a game called Trace Italian. Sean creates an entire post-apocalyptic America where players are trying to get to a safe haven, the Trace Italian, in Kansas. Players write in to Sean and he tells them their next step.
Reality and the game begin to blend for Sean. Does the art follow reality or does the reality follow art?
*****Semi-Spoilers Below******
The title WIWV comes from a TBN show that Sean watches. Evangelists claim that rock n roll is the devil's music and the Dark Lord's messages are hidden in the music. The evangelist plays one album backwards and it says "Wolf in White Van." Sean thinks this is ludicrous. Even if there was a devil, why would he hide his messages? Isn't too much work?
The narrative style of WIWV is like the back-tracked record. Darnielle winds the story backwards as the story progresses. So . . . does that make Darnielle the devil? ;-)