Read John Darnielle's 'Universal Harvester' for a haunting look at grief
Grief can make people do very strange things. And those very strange things can bring people together in very scary ways.
John Darnielle, known for over two decades of leading the alt-folk music group The Mountain Goats, has returned to the literary scene with his second novel Universal Harvester, released Feb. 7.
Set in the open wilds of Iowa in the late '90s, the new book from the author of Wolf in White Van (nominated for the 2014 National Book Award) follows Jeremy, who works in a small video rental store until his life gets vastly thrown out of whack when mysterious footage begins appearing on random VHS tapes.
"I don't want shock, I want unease," Darnielle recently told us when we invited him to join us on the MashReads Podcast.
And that's just what he provides.
Through the winding, quickly paced tale, unease is a pivotal part of Universal Harvester. From the shifts in narration, the hidden motives of characters and the lengths to which people will go to express their grief, Darnielle's book takes you through the trials of loss amidst the stoic culture of central America.
"I don't want shock, I want unease."
Unease in Darnielle's flowing, captivating language manifests itself in multiple ways. The enigmatic footage sets it up as something of a horror novel as dark, intensely creepy scenes affect the characters' lives. But Universal Harvester also captures unease in its lack of security. Much of the book revels in obfuscating information, making the reader sympathize with the characters' inward confusion and struggle to make sense out of a senseless event.
If a dark mystery that explores how our losses affect our attempts at recovery interests you, then Universal Harvester is the book for you. It will yank you in and leave you dizzy, what more could you ask for out of a good read?
If you'd like to listen to our MashReads podcast discussion with Darnielle, and our subsequent discussion of the book, that is helpfully provided below:
I have done neat stuff all over these United States from sailing lessons on the Puget Sound to motorcycle maintenance on the backroads of upstate New York. My professional experience extends from newspaper reporting in the mountains of Eastern Oregon to fixing espresso machines throughout Kentucky. I also have kept a cat alive for 10 years.
