Death upends all worlds, even that of the very average Charlie Asher, beta-male extraordinaire, doting husband, expectant father, and protagonist of Christopher Moore’s A Dirty Job.
As a second-string kind of guy, Charlie Asher has never been the center of anything, not even his own attentions. But when tragedy knocks his life off balance, and deathly mishaps and chaotic misunderstandings trail in his wake, he is forced to figure that someone, or something, is screwing with him in particular. And, for his family and his city’s sake, he’s going to have to make it stop.
If stereotypes make you very unhappy, prepare to be offended, because they are rampant. Moore creates a fun family of characters and is not afraid of playing up stereotypes to their most absurd conclusion. Although it’s not very PC, I believe the sheer ridiculousness of Moore’s portrayals make for great satire. His metaphors tickle the ear with droll originality, and his take on Death has the lightheartedness of Pratchett, but without the PG-ness of the Discworld.
If you’ve been looking for something original and funny and a little dark, read A Dirty Job. The quirky cover art is reason enough to grab up a physical copy.
Tl;dr: Christopher Moore took an insecure man and a peculiar baby, a Bowie-esque lesbian, a couple of old lady immigrants with strong accents, and a stately homeless man, and gradually added the forces of darkness; then he poured the mixture out over the streets of San Francisco. Hilarity ensued and I loved it.
Engage Audience 