WOLF in WHITE VAN - A World of Ugly Magic that is Spellbinding

American novelist & musician, John Darnielle received a Nat'l Book Award Nom. for his 1st novel, WOLF in WHITE VAN.  This haunting & melancholy novel delves into the mind of Sean, a high school student whose obsession with survivalist video games blurs the boundaries between reality & insanity.  The perceptive writing draws you into Sean's world.  It begins as a mystery how & why Sean become so hideously disfigured.  Sean becomes a recluse after the mulitation of his face.  He creates a popular,  apocalyptic survivalist video game that quenches "the adolescent brain with its permanent thirst for blood."  Two teens fall under the video's spell with tragic results. Where does the blame lay for these games' addictions & its carnage?  In hindsight, Sean comprehends the allure, "people underestimate just how starved everybody is for some magic pathway."  I empathized with Sean's loneliness coping with his catastrophic injury.  I felt compelled to follow the chain of events which led to his pitiable state.  Darnielle's hypnotic writing conveyed the need to achieve the next outcome.  It's no mystery why this spellbinding story must be finished once you've started.  "Why is a tricky question."