Bad luck for Earth that the job of the Almighty went to a horny, indolent teenager named Bob whose mother, Mona, won it in a poker game.
In a few flashes of brilliance, Bob created the heavens and the earth, adding short-lived mortals in his own image, which seemed like a colossal mistake to his assistant, Mr. B. Humankind has been dealing with God’s adolescent mood swings ever since. If Bob seduces one more girl, it'll be the end of Mr. B’s rope—he’s already considering turning in his resignation. A veteran of middle management, he's having his own identity crisis. While Bob fantasizes about “soapy sex” with Lucy, an assistant zookeeper praying for someone to fall in love with, the world drowns in Bob's bathwater. Meanwhile, Bob's pet, Eck, a penguin-like little creature with far more empathy than his owner possesses, is the latest victim of Mona's excesses. Beneath the light, snarky banter lie provocative ideas. As Bob himself wonders, “if life were without flaws and no one ever changed or died, what role would God have?” A piece of graffiti spurs Bob to get his planet under control, to surprising effect.
Irreverent and funny, this book is sure to put off those concerned about blasphemous ideas showing up in teen literature, but it earns its place among the sharpest-witted tours de force of recent memory. (Fiction. 14 & up)
