From 1992 through this year, John Darnielle’s folk-rock band, the Mountain Goats, released 14 full albums and 24 EPs. The band is known in the indie world for its descriptive lyrics and simple instrumentation. Darnielle’s songwriting style often sounds more narrative than lyrical, so it wasn’t surprising to hear that he recently finished his first novel, “Wolf in White Van.”
Through the voice of Sean Phillips, the book’s main character, “Wolf in White Van” explores the different ways people find purpose in their lives. Beyond his own situation, he describes his parents trying to make sense of what he deems “the accident” and the directionless nature of adolescence.
Phillips is the victim of an injury that permanently disfigured his face several years before the novel takes place. By the time readers are introduced to Phillips, he’s middle-aged, and has settled into a routine that includes receiving strange treatment for his face.
Phillips tells the story in first person, but alternates between four different perspectives: present day, his memories before the accident, his memories after and from within the role-playing game he’s invented. The game, called “Trace Italian,” allows him to make an income despite being confined to his house. It becomes a welcome distraction from the trouble of living with a surgically-reconstructed face.
Trace Italian takes place in an America decimated by nuclear radiation. Despite the advent of the internet, Trace Italian persists as a text-based game played through the mail. Players write out their moves and send them via envelope to Phillips, who then sends players the result.
It is clearly a long process to play Trace Italian, and Phillips admits that no one will ever win the game. As he and the players lose themselves in the creation of imaginary worlds with unachievable goals, readers are left to contemplate the purpose of their devotion to an endless game.
About halfway through the novel, we learn about the nature of Phillips’ injury through a stranger’s curiosity. On one of his rare trips out of the house, he hears, “Dude! Dude your face.” His conversation with two teenagers eventually arrives at the question, “Bullet wound?,” and Phillips’ reply, “Exit wound.”
While alternating from viewpoint to viewpoint, the novel gradually reveals the story of Phillips’ youth, why “the accident” occurs and how he adjusts to living with the aftermath of a gunshot to the face.
Darnielle uses Phillips’ internal processes as opportunities for unique and colorful interpretations of motivation, distraction and personal relationships. His prose is simple in its word choice, but complex in its imagery and the emotions conveyed.
By breaking each chapter into pieces, Darnielle creates a useful device for digging around in Phillips’ past and relating these memories to the present day. Readers will find that “Wolf in White Van” is more concerned with how its characters react to “the accident” than it is with the event itself.
3 stars out of 5
