ashtronomic's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Everywhere this book is listed, it is labelled as horror, thriller and suspense… but it just isn’t that. I was specifically browsing through the horror section of the library when I found this book. The cover is immediately striking and the blurb promises an interesting plot with classic horror tropes, however the novel serves this content for only a few short chapters before almost completely dismissing it.
Perhaps this novel would have been fine without the pretense, but it establishes expectations and fails to deliver on them. The story is the antithesis of a thriller; slow and meandering with plotlines that go on and on without ever really getting anywhere. Its characters are briefly interesting in those initial chapters that set up the horror expectations, but become less relatable as the book moves forward.
My advice to potential readers, don’t read this if you are searching for suspense or horror.
interrowhimper's review against another edition
4.0
This book was as strange as I expected after reading Wolf in White Van. Not so captivating, but just as unsettling. John has a way of writing a perspective that's somehow oblique to what's going on. You keep waiting to intercept the gist of things. The prose is completely beautiful. He writes simple things, in ways that make me suddenly understand them.
As a person who grew up on the plains and spends a lot of time driving through Iowa and southern Minnesota and eastern Nebraska, I had a deep appreciation for the way he describes those places. The corn, the culture, the wind. The winter.
This is a haunting book, but beautiful.
As a person who grew up on the plains and spends a lot of time driving through Iowa and southern Minnesota and eastern Nebraska, I had a deep appreciation for the way he describes those places. The corn, the culture, the wind. The winter.
This is a haunting book, but beautiful.
gregorsamosa's review against another edition
3.0
This book is like a vaguely unsettling dream
John Darnielle manages to make a an experience here that manages to blend the mundane with the surreal.
If you're looking for good prose, and are not in a hurry this may be for you! For a book this short it would still be an understatement to say that it takes its time.
John Darnielle manages to make a an experience here that manages to blend the mundane with the surreal.
If you're looking for good prose, and are not in a hurry this may be for you! For a book this short it would still be an understatement to say that it takes its time.
jayevangelina's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
oneday_atbookland's review against another edition
3.0
This book is definitely not what I thought it was. The first few pages really got me interested but the jumping back and forth between POVs was definitely confusing/frustrating. Overall I like the the story but it felt extremely disjointed and not 100% done.
jonwash's review against another edition
3.0
Armed with an unsettling premise tempered by deep melancholy and loss, this book pulled me in. It sorta caves to the melancholy halfway through, and once I realized the story was going to remain abstract I somewhat lost my investment. Still, it's a quiet and emotional read and doesn't demand too much of your time.