This book is simultaneously raw and esoteric, and very urban in the manner of Chicago’s legendary Nelson Algren. The Wagon is written by a Chicago cop, present tense. It’s a related collection of short stories. By “raw” let me cite story #1: Body Bags. It’s about his rookie assignment, collecting dead bodies from throughout the city – some fresh from murder, others in various states of decomposition having died alone in their apartments or left in back alleys. It is not however all shock, some of the stories, particularly those that touch on his aging parents, are raw in an entirely different manner, because they strike way too close to home. It’s an excellent read, including his definition of “essential services.” Don’t let his full time profession fool you, though a newcomer, Martin Preib can write, this book is published by the University of Chicago Press which isn’t known for its pulp fiction.
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