A Dirty Job

Christopher Moore has achieved a cult following with his novels. I had never read one until this summer and decided to check him out. A Dirty Job starts with the birth of Charlie Asher's daughter Sophie and the death of his wife Rachel. Shortly after Rachel dies Charlie sees a man dressed in green taking her favorite CD (now pulsing and glowing strangely) from the hospital room. Although Charlie tries to stop him and make sense of it all, he finds out that he is about to undertake (sorry, too easy) the job that this strange man has: Charlie is going to be a Death Merchant. Luckily the man turns out to be Minty Fresh, who, along with the Big Book of Death, helps Charlie get acquainted to his new business collecting "soul vessels" and passing them onto new recipients as part of the circle of life. Minty owns a used CD store and Charlie owns a second hand store, making the task of passing on soul vessels a little easier. The novel covers daughter Sophie's first five years where two huge black hell hounds join her and will not leave her side, even in the bathtub. During this time Charlie, a self-described beta male, battles against the sewer harpies who live underground, want to steal the soul vessels and constantly try to flirt with Charlie through the gutters of San Fransisco. With many well developed characters, Charlie's co-workers especially, this book takes the reader on a crazy fantastical journey of life, death, humor and junk. Definitely worth the read if you're looking for something funny that's a little different.