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? ;-)
alyciakawitzki's review against another edition
1.0
In short, I hated this book. I found it incredibly boring, the only thing that kept me reading until the end was the storyline, which actually held some interesting merit. However, working in a reverse motion, the book revealed singular clues about Sean's past and the driving pull of the novel as you continue to read, and that honestly felt like I was being bribed into finishing the book. It was like if I read more, I'd be offered another piece of information. I found the ending to be a boring finale to a boring book, and the writing style seemed too 'full' and unnecessary in parts.
meg_31's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The writing style is very poetic. Sometimes very beautiful but sometimes a bit dense and difficult to understand. There are long tangents away from the main story, so much so it didn’t feel like this book had a main story. I’ve never played RPG so some sections did feel like a bit of a slog but there were moments of real poignancy.
wickedlyethan's review against another edition
2.0
I simply couldn't get into it. A book replete with interesting ideas somehow found me without care for its narrator, and it's prose further compounded the problem by being ruthlessly complex and rather boring in its complexity. You can see the William Gibson influences, but without the world to match.
katedyl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
marsh_all's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
4.75
Spoiler
I loved the book (got me out of a reading slump) but I almost feel like I'm still not sure what happened or how it should end. I think ultimately that's part of the point -- suicide, trauma and teenage years are full of complicated thoughts and feelings, and sometimes seem irrational. Life doesn't come with a satisfying beginning or end, it's mostly just choices and memories-0.25 not because I think there is anything bad but just because I don't know how to feel. Maybe that's a good thing?
finalgirlfall's review against another edition
5.0
this book felt incredibly experimental, in a good way.