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cekrall's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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? It's complicated
4.75
possumghost's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
oregonian329's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-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
zellreads's review against another edition
3.0
I love the mountain goats music, and was pleasantly surprised by how Darnielle's genius translated into prose. This was a fantastic and totally unique story. The worlds that were built in it were imaginative and charming, and the main character was one of a kind. I would have loved more of Lance and Cassie's story woven into Sean's, it felt like something was missing and I think it was their perspective.
ebtdean's review against another edition
5.0
This book... Is not for everyone. But it was the type of book that should not be read quickly, it demands to be read slowly and savored. The words, phrases and order of the book are all very intentional and intense.
After reading reviews I'd expected to have a big shocking ending, but this book is not like that. It doesn't build up and then burst. It's a slow intense burn that will leave its mark for a long time.
I really enjoyed the name, and how it relates to the book and the metaphor it draws for the book as a whole. For now, I'll put this down and likely read it again when I'm ready for some more favoring.
After reading reviews I'd expected to have a big shocking ending, but this book is not like that. It doesn't build up and then burst. It's a slow intense burn that will leave its mark for a long time.
I really enjoyed the name, and how it relates to the book and the metaphor it draws for the book as a whole. For now, I'll put this down and likely read it again when I'm ready for some more favoring.
paroof's review against another edition
4.0
Short but powerful. We know little about any of the characters except the main character, Sean, a man with a disfigurement who creates virtual worlds for others to enjoy, but who, when the game becomes real and tragedy strikes, must confront why he withdrew from society. Much like In Cold Blood, we know the who and the what, but we don't know the why - in this book, in the final chapter.
It's a character study, not a lot of action - so only recommended for those that enjoy these types of books.
It's a character study, not a lot of action - so only recommended for those that enjoy these types of books.
ferretonfire's review against another edition
4.0
"It was later, lying supine and blind for days, faced with the choice of either inventing internal worlds or having no world at all to inhabit, when I started to fill in the details."
There's a game called Trace Italian, and you won't win.
Like many, I was drawn to Wolf in White Van because of its author John Darnielle, lead singer of The Mountain Goats. He's a songwriter with a cynical bent and arresting lyrics, capable of transporting his audience and making them feel a whirlwind of both positive and negative emotions through a single verse. I did wonder if his pithy style would translate to the long-form storytelling of novels, though -- talent doesn't always, after all, cross genre or medium.
Thankfully, this is a novel into which Darnielle put a lot of care. There's a puzzle-like structure, as chapters are told in fragments from all over the protagonist's life. Sean Phililps has a horrific head wound and a strange past that he doesn't want to reveal, and his life is shown in snippets. He's more than happy to talk about a game he's created, though, a place where the rules are in your favour as long as you play thoughtfully—put another way, obsessives always have the advantage.
This isn't a plot heavy story, and it works all the better for this. The style is slick enough that you glide through. The narrator's musings on how, for example, wallpapers, the universe and pain are all intricately connected like threads in a blanket are fascinating enough on their own.
Darnielle uses poetic language to create unusual connections between situations and themes which my brain would never find without help. It's gratifying to read, and gives the delightful tingle in your mind of "I got it!" which mystery novels normally provide. It also helps in convincing readers to empathise with a main character who can be more than a little bizarre.
Wolf in White Van shows the beauty in escapism, the desperate need which can build inside people for a world entirely different to our own, Escapism, after all, drives the vast majority of fiction writing, television and music. This novel doesn't glorify it, though, and we see the dark paths that can open up when longing becomes obsession.
There's a game called Trace Italian, and you won't win.
Like many, I was drawn to Wolf in White Van because of its author John Darnielle, lead singer of The Mountain Goats. He's a songwriter with a cynical bent and arresting lyrics, capable of transporting his audience and making them feel a whirlwind of both positive and negative emotions through a single verse. I did wonder if his pithy style would translate to the long-form storytelling of novels, though -- talent doesn't always, after all, cross genre or medium.
Thankfully, this is a novel into which Darnielle put a lot of care. There's a puzzle-like structure, as chapters are told in fragments from all over the protagonist's life. Sean Phililps has a horrific head wound and a strange past that he doesn't want to reveal, and his life is shown in snippets. He's more than happy to talk about a game he's created, though, a place where the rules are in your favour as long as you play thoughtfully—put another way, obsessives always have the advantage.
This isn't a plot heavy story, and it works all the better for this. The style is slick enough that you glide through. The narrator's musings on how, for example, wallpapers, the universe and pain are all intricately connected like threads in a blanket are fascinating enough on their own.
Darnielle uses poetic language to create unusual connections between situations and themes which my brain would never find without help. It's gratifying to read, and gives the delightful tingle in your mind of "I got it!" which mystery novels normally provide. It also helps in convincing readers to empathise with a main character who can be more than a little bizarre.
Wolf in White Van shows the beauty in escapism, the desperate need which can build inside people for a world entirely different to our own, Escapism, after all, drives the vast majority of fiction writing, television and music. This novel doesn't glorify it, though, and we see the dark paths that can open up when longing becomes obsession.
bethebluebook's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
grahamcr's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0