The musician, John Darnielle, has written a very interesting book which is a difficult read for me. (The cover is a labyrinth which should have been a tip off.) He begins with the aftermath of an accident which disfigures the narrator, Sean, and then goes forward and backward with his story. He invents a role playing game to be played by mail called Trace Italian and has players from all over the world participating. At some point the game starts to be played in real time and not by mail.
This is as far as I got and when I tried to pick it up again a week later I was lost. This is a book that requires concentration and contemplation. I plan to give it another try. The author is a writer, composer, singer and guitarist with the band Mountain Goats.