Fup: A Modern Fable

Description

Fup is a tale of two humans, one duck and several vats of home-brewed whisky. There's Grandaddy Jake Santee, 99 years old, an unreformed gambler, cranky reprobate and fierce opponent of the work ethic. Thanks to his home-distilled hooch, Ol' Death Whisper, he reckons he's in with a good shot at immortality. There's Tiny, adopted at the age of four by Grandaddy Jake, a giant young man as gentle as Jake is belligerent. And then there's Fup, an uncompromising twenty-pound mallard duck, partial to a drink herself, whose unique presence transforms the Santee household. Hilarious, heart-warming and magical, Fup is a contemporary fable that inspires an almost evangelical fervour in all who read it. It is a work of enormous originality with a giant heart.

Jim Dodge is the author of three books, Fup, Not Fade Away and Stone Junction. He lives on an isolated ranch in Sonoma County with his family and teaches creative writing at a Californian university.

'Fup [is] a wonderfully off-kilter little fable by the Californian writer Jim Dodge. It's the story of a 20-pound mallard duck (think "Fup Duck") and a cantankerous grandfather who finds the secret to life in a whiskey called "Ol' Death Whisper." Fup refuses classification, but it's almost as if Richard Brautigan and Mark Twain got together and decided to lay a further claim on American eccentricity. A good book to read when the world grows too dark around you.' -- Colum McCann 'Adorable, enchanting and-it has to be said-very odd. In short, everything a cult classic should be.' -- Chris Taylor 'What hath Jim Dodge wrought? There's 99% purity in this nutty novel.' -- Gary Snyder 'Twists and turns between Twain and Steinbeck but has a fairytale ending worthy of Oscar Wilde.' Sunday Telegraph 'Without a doubt the best (122-page) epic featuring a duck ever published.' Evening Standard 'Short, sharp and wickedly funny...Fup shows Jim Dodge to be one of the most original literary voices.' Elle 'Very funny and profound...could become one of those cult classics.' Bookseller 'Will have you grinning from ear to ear.' -- The List 'Fup is a pint-sized powerpack of a novel. It's got everything.' Big Issue 'Dodge gives us a contemporary California fable of transcendent charm, wisdom and beauty. Nothing prepares us for the miraculous transfiguration that brings Fup to its haunting conclusion.' Los Angeles Times 'A stupendous little book that will knock your socks off! It is also hilariously funny. Fup makes me yearn to pull out all the overworked cliches of a thirsty critic: it is a jewel, a gem, a diamond in the cesspool of life.' San Francisco Chronicle 'If you fell in love with Babe, then you'll love Fup. Simple, touching and refreshingly short.' Face