I can recommend this book for a couple of reasons. Firstly it is short and to the point so even were you to read it and hate it it will only have taken up an hour or two of your appointed time on earth.
Secondly it is a crackling good read and quite unique. I'd never heard of Jim Dodge before and all I know know is what the blurb tells me; he lives on an isolated ranch in western Sonoma County. And he can write.
Fup is the story of two men and a duck. Really. Grandaddy Jake Santee, Tiny and Fup live together on a ranch. It is about the functional dysfunctional family that they form.
Jim Dodge has a gift for prose writing. His simple style manages to paint a full picture with a bare minimum of words. His dialogue is spot on and often very funny.
So he quickly creates a fable-like story and sets the reader up for a fairy-tale ending. Then he pulls the rug out from under you and leaves you amazed. The book has a great surprise ending which leaves you thinking. Jim Dodge might have pulled off something very profound or he may just be sitting on the stoop of his ranch, chewing a plug of tobacco and chuckling at how he's yanking our chains.
Either way I'm sold.

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