John Darnielle is one of those deservedly charmed Art Dudes. He heads up the lo-fi Brainy-Folk act the Mountain Goats and, in 2014, his novel "Wolf in White Van" was nominated for the National Book Award. Now, Darnielle has just published "Universal Harvester," a disturbing meditation set in a seemingly innocuous, corn-belt small town in Iowa. Jeremy, a not-quite-slacker video clerk still reeling from the death of his mother, begins to field complaints from customers that the videos they've rented are flawed. Someone has spliced quick, mysterious footage of eerie but obfuscated events in what seems to be an old shed or garage. Clearly, the sinister footage is locally produced. But by whom, and why? And do the scenes suggest something far darker is going on? It's beautifully written and structured, and I wouldn't mind spoiling the end for you — BUT ... I got all the way through and have NO FREAKIN' IDEA what happened. I guess it's one of those Literary-with-a-capital-L deals. Maybe you can figure it out. Let me know.