bluestocking reviewed The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home by Jeffrey Cranor (Welcome to Night Vale, #3)
In the town of Night Vale, there’s a faceless old woman who secretly lives in …
better without the WTNV connection
4 stars
Content warning mild plot spoilers, mostly about timeframe and location
3.5, rounded up to 4.
I’ve been an on-and-off Welcome to Night Vale listener since 2012. (I was there for early fandom wars about the series on tumblr that I for some reason still remember pretty vividly! I have seen so much art of Cecil looking like The Onceler!) I’ve also listened to quite a few of the other Night Vale Presents podcasts. This was my first time reading any of the Night Vale books, though.
As a longtime fan, this felt pretty different from the series. Most of it does not take place in Night Vale, or even in the US. Setting it in early 1800s Europe was an interesting choice, and while I didn’t dislike the setting, it didn’t have the same absurdist horror vibe I was looking for.
I think that was the main drawback of this book, actually: it’s a book about a WTNV character, but without the fun, strange, creepy vibes that have kept me listening for over a decade. I feel like I would’ve enjoyed it more if it had no relation to the podcast. It’s very much its own story, with a different writing style. It would’ve stood better on its own two feet without trying to shoehorn a connection to WTNV.
It’s good on its own. I loved getting to read a swashbuckling story about secret societies and heists and well-plotted revenge and its ghastly consequences. This is a very “I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs” book, which I would like to read more of. The writing is enjoyable and takes some pleasant poetic turns at times.
Worth reading, but maybe more fun if you’re going in without expectations.
!!Spoilers for the ending below!! Nothing super specific but be forewarned!!
I also wasn’t a huge fan of the ending. It fell flat and I don’t like that it turned The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home into a being of vengeance aimed at one family instead of an omnipresent, omniscient (but also funny and clever) being who could theoretically terrorize anyone. It cheapened her character to me and whenever I pick up the podcast next, I’m going to act like this book is a fun headcanon that got published.