Like Darnielle's most recent novel, Devil House, Universal Harvester has a plot that sounds straight out of a pop horror potboiler. Also like Devil House, there's a hell of a lot more brewing beneath the surface any synopsis might hint at.
Universal Harvester does indeed begin like a creepy mainstream horror yarn. It's the late nineties and a young video store clerk learns about strange interruptions spliced into in various rental tapes. The footage is enigmatic and unnerving. Darnielle's complex story weaves between the present time of the discovery, the past, and into the future.
John Darnielle tackles big themes in Universal Harvester. Irredeemable loss and the aftermath of grief. Ageing and the changes we all face. The oppression of small towns. Loneliness and its devastating effects. The appeal of fringe beliefs to unsatisfied individuals.
Darnielle is a veteran songwriter and his prose is lyrical. There's emotion in every sentence. Passages feel like long form poetry. His plot is dense and complicated, yet heartbreakingly human. There are dark corners in this book, but it's so beautifully rendered the whole thing is a cathartic experience.
These books are not for people who require easy answers and clearly defined conclusions. He demands a lot from his readers, and those who are up for the experience will be amply rewarded.
How much do I love Universal Harvester? It's the end of October and I'm 99.9% sure it will be my favorite book of 2022. Immediately after finishing the novel, I purchased the audiobook, and I am jumping right into it. I also bought tickets to see John Darnielle's band, The Mountain Goats, in early 2023.
I loved Devil House, but Universal Harvester is one of the best books I have ever read. I'm reading his books in reverse. His first novel, Wolf in White Van, will be my next.
This brings me great joy. I often feel I am stuck too far into the past. John Darnielle gives me hope for the future of genre fiction.
Written by Mark Sieber
Universal Harvester does indeed begin like a creepy mainstream horror yarn. It's the late nineties and a young video store clerk learns about strange interruptions spliced into in various rental tapes. The footage is enigmatic and unnerving. Darnielle's complex story weaves between the present time of the discovery, the past, and into the future.
John Darnielle tackles big themes in Universal Harvester. Irredeemable loss and the aftermath of grief. Ageing and the changes we all face. The oppression of small towns. Loneliness and its devastating effects. The appeal of fringe beliefs to unsatisfied individuals.
Darnielle is a veteran songwriter and his prose is lyrical. There's emotion in every sentence. Passages feel like long form poetry. His plot is dense and complicated, yet heartbreakingly human. There are dark corners in this book, but it's so beautifully rendered the whole thing is a cathartic experience.
These books are not for people who require easy answers and clearly defined conclusions. He demands a lot from his readers, and those who are up for the experience will be amply rewarded.
How much do I love Universal Harvester? It's the end of October and I'm 99.9% sure it will be my favorite book of 2022. Immediately after finishing the novel, I purchased the audiobook, and I am jumping right into it. I also bought tickets to see John Darnielle's band, The Mountain Goats, in early 2023.
I loved Devil House, but Universal Harvester is one of the best books I have ever read. I'm reading his books in reverse. His first novel, Wolf in White Van, will be my next.
This brings me great joy. I often feel I am stuck too far into the past. John Darnielle gives me hope for the future of genre fiction.
Written by Mark Sieber
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