THE SICK BOX

In this debut satire, a newly promoted demon struggles to possess an innocent girl on Earth and fulfill a prophecy.

Karen Floyd’s job is in Hell. She works at the Nakara Corporation, which provides internet, cable, and cellphones for Hell’s lost souls. But she gets a welcome promotion when her “sick box” pops up in the earthly realm. This box filled with spiritual items was the last thing Karen saw before dying. Now, thanks to a garage sale, the box resides with the Matthews family and offers a direct route from Hell to Earth. Karen’s new project is possessing the body of 5-year-old Mallory, which, as it happens, is the start of a prophecy foretold years before the protagonist reached Hell. She fights to control her unpredictable travels between realms; her slowly materializing form on Earth; and Mallory herself. But when someone capable of exorcisms enters the Matthews family’s circle, the little girl’s bizarre behavior (for example, blaming things on her invisible friend, Karen) may ultimately send the demon back to Hell as a failure. Fries’ entertainingly flippant tone makes Hell comparable to Earth. But differences are hard to miss, as Hell’s average denizen has horns and a “long red swishing tail” and faces perpetual dangers, like random zombie hordes. This engaging story fuses gory moments with plentiful humor, from lowbrow (flatulence, human or otherwise) to just plain silly (the demonic greeting of “Hell low”). At the same time, Fries smartly lampoons women’s treatment in the workplace; a co-worker patronizingly calls Karen “baby” and “your hot self,” and it’s clear that sexual harassment claims never move beyond the paperwork. As her offbeat adventure continues, Karen earns sympathy, often seeing her sister, Alice, in young Mallory. Karen is also somewhat mysterious since readers initially don’t know much about her, most notably what she did on Earth that fast-tracked her to Hell.

A darkly comic, compelling, and critical tale about family and the never-ending grind.