A Dirty Job

I really wasn’t a fan of the last book I read by Christopher Moore, and you know what… I still feel the same way.  I think I really am not that interested in “ridiculously sublime” books that make fun of things.  This is the case in A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore.  I know there is a whole cult following of Moore’s work, but I guess I am not one of them.  While there were some pretty funny lines, the story just didn’t really make that much sense.  OK, so you say, it wasn’t supposed to.  Making fun of someone who becomes a “death dealer” wasn’t all that funny to me. The book’s main character, Charlie Asher, is the owner and proprietor of a second-hand store in San Francisco, which his father left to him after his death. The story begins with death when his wife, Rachel, dies after giving birth to their daughter and first child, Sophie. Charlie learns after being in close proximity to a man on the street who gets run over, he has another “calling”… retrieving the souls of the dying, so as to protect them from the forces of the underworld.  He only gradually realizes the ramifications of this new business as various clues and complications begin to unfold. Ultimately, Charlie resolves to confront directly the forces of darkness. Through some absurd characters, like Minty Fresh, the ravens, and the cast of characters from his second-hand store, you have the makings of a ridiculous story which I think is trying to make fun of the difficult task of handling loved ones' death.  Charlie faces his mother’s death and the fact that his daughter Sophie is in some part responsible for some of the deaths when after she states “kitty” to a living person, they die shortly afterwards.  Moore takes on a tough topic and tries to make light of it.  For me, once again, it’s just not that funny.  I tend to get disinterested in the outlandish, especially when I say, what’s the point?  Sorry for those who love Moore, I’m just not in the club.  Take a pass and read tomorrow’s book!