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todallyanika's review against another edition
4.0
Make no mistake, this is not a horror novel. It’s an unsettling novel, but it keeps you on the edge the entire time, never facing a jump scare or real climax of fear. It is, however, an incredibly lyrical novel that kept my attention the entire time. For a certain section of the population, Mountain Goats fans and Iowegians mostly, this is enough to make the novel well worth the read. As a member of one and a half of these groups (Iowegian-adjacent), I found this novel depressingly relatable and enjoyed little tMG easter eggs (West Covina anyone?) throughout. If you go in expecting an unsettling story set in the Midwest involving a video rental store and a cult, you’ll be pleased. Perhaps, if you go in expecting nothing at all (or you’re just a fan of anything John Darnielle puts out) you may enjoy it as well. Just don’t go in expecting horror in the traditional sense, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
trin's review against another edition
2.0
I quite enjoyed the opening section of this novel, much as I enjoyed Darnielle's previous book, [b:Wolf in White Van|20575425|Wolf in White Van|John Darnielle|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393646533s/20575425.jpg|39843433]: it's creepy, lazily suspenseful, atmospheric. But the deeper into this book I got, the more convoluted and obtuse it became, and the less I cared. I would maybe even be giving this one star were it not for the strength of Darnielle's prose and how much I liked that opening section.
coleman_matt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
vitaminbillwebb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
3.5
njdarkish's review against another edition
4.0
The prose is beautiful and at times terrifying, but it gets a little tricky to bridge the gap between the stories to make sense to the context of what is actually on the tapes. It's there, but was vague to the point that it took away from some of the horror and narrative cohesion. This could have been a five star book if it tied the threads together a little more tightly.
emilycdennis's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
mariaranger98's review against another edition
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I started this book to get back into reading. It’s pretty short so it’s not daunting. At the start. I was super interested and could hardly put it down. The change in perspectives helped hold the tension. However, I felt like there were some plot lines left unresolved and it was a bit anticlimactic. I still enjoyed it enough, but I probably wouldn’t re-read it. Marketing it as a horror novel is a bit misleading as well. It’s more about grief/loss of a parent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
gracedayton's review against another edition
3.0
UGH. i was SO excited for this to take me somewhere crazy and creepy, but it really left me hanging. the multiple storylines and characters were interesting and intriguing, but i didn’t get answers to any of my questions. i like that sometimes, but it didn’t work here since i think a lot of the plot went unanswered. was really hoping to love this one :(