{"id":7080,"date":"2025-12-05T09:08:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.laserfarm.com\/?p=7080"},"modified":"2025-12-05T09:08:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:08:22","slug":"book-review-wolf-in-white-van","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.laserfarm.com\/?p=7080","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Wolf in White Van"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Wolf in White Van<\/em><\/strong>, by John Darnielle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Darnielle is best known for being the lead singer\/songwriter for The Mountain Goats<\/em>, 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\u2019t know what I was getting into. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolf in White Van<\/em> is a sad story about a sad young man, and usually I don\u2019t go for the sad-sack stories. But I liked this. It\u2019s told in fragments. The plot meanders. And there isn\u2019t much in the sense of traditional resolution.\u00a0Despite my illustration, there are no wolves (or jetpacks) in this story. That’s okay. Maybe.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s something comforting about that style of play. I\u2019ve never played a pen-and-paper RPG, but I\u2019ve always wanted to try it. And this version, which requires the postal service\u2019s glacial pace, seems like it\u2019d be my kind of game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the story, the game doesn\u2019t go so well for a few players and the main character must deal with the consequences.\u00a0There’s more going on, but I’ll avoid spoilers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolf in White Van<\/em> is uncomfortable at times and the subject matter gets very dark. I wouldn\u2019t recommend this if you\u2019re feeling down. But if you want to read an interesting book about loneliness, or you\u2019re sick and tired of feeling good about life, this is a good one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m reviewing books through the end of December to raise money for Reading is Fundamental. Click here to donate!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n