Wolf in White Van, by John Darnielle

John Darnielle is best known for being the lead singer/songwriter for The Mountain Goats, a band I like quite a bit due in large part to the lyrics. Naturally, when I heard the person who writes cool songs also wrote a book, I was eager to check it out. I didn’t know what I was getting into. 

Wolf in White Van is a sad story about a sad young man, and usually I don’t go for the sad-sack stories. But I liked this. It’s told in fragments. The plot meanders. And there isn’t much in the sense of traditional resolution. Despite my illustration, there are no wolves (or jetpacks) in this story. That’s okay. Maybe. 

The main character is disfigured and feels isolated. He has created a role playing game in which he sends note cards to players via the mail with actions and story bits, and the players respond via the mail with their actions. 

There’s something comforting about that style of play. I’ve never played a pen-and-paper RPG, but I’ve always wanted to try it. And this version, which requires the postal service’s glacial pace, seems like it’d be my kind of game. 

In the story, the game doesn’t go so well for a few players and the main character must deal with the consequences. There’s more going on, but I’ll avoid spoilers.

Wolf in White Van is uncomfortable at times and the subject matter gets very dark. I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re feeling down. But if you want to read an interesting book about loneliness, or you’re sick and tired of feeling good about life, this is a good one. 

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