The debut collection of raucous, dark, strange, satirical stories from the former Late Show with Stephen Colbert writer and New Yorker contributor, featuring a foreword by Stephen Colbert.
A bride so desperate to get in shape for her wedding that she enrolls in a new kind of workout program that promises the moon but costs more than she bargained for. A snowman who, on the wish of a child, comes to life in a decidedly less savory way than in the childhood classic. And in the title story, a time-hopping 1940s starlet tries to claw her way to the top in modern-day Hollywood, despite being ridiculously unwoke.
In this uproarious, addictive debut, Jen Spyra takes a culture that seems almost beyond parody and holds it up to a funhouse mirror, immersing the reader in a world of prehistoric influencers, woodland creatures plagued by millennial neuroses, and an all-out birthday bash determined to be the most lavish celebration of all time, by any means necessary.
Welcome, brave soul, to the world of Jen Spyra.
Industry Reviews
“Jen Spyra’s stories are shocking, silly, smart, and absurdly funny. Underline both those words, I don’t care how much it costs!”
Tina Fey
“When I first met Jen, I thought she was a deeply funny, normal woman. After reading her hilarious book of stories, I see she is even funnier than I thought, though exponentially less normal. It’s a pretty good trade-off.”
Mindy Kaling
“Every once in a while, a new writer bursts on the scene, which makes a disgusting mess. But other times, a hilarious writer like Jen Spyra comes along with a fabulous collection of brilliantly funny, dark stories.”
Jack Handey author of Deep Thoughts
“Jen Spyra is like a hotel bed: at first glance tidy and cheerful, but shine a black light on that thing and dear god! This book confirms what I’ve known about Jen since her first days at The Late Show: she’s delightful and disturbing, and she really makes me laugh.”
Stephen Colbert
“Jen Spyra’s book, Big Time, made me laugh out loud, over and over again. After a while, the feeling became physically unpleasant. There was something invasive about it, like I was being tickled by a giant. Hilarious, confident, and brutal, Spyra is one of my favorite humor writers working today.”
Simon Rich
“[Spyra] displays her audacious comedic prowess in this spicy and woke debut story collection that delivers the perfect blend of stinging satire and salacious mirth. . . . In each of these fourteen stories, Spyra draws out the humanity of the characters who are blissfully unaware that they are wading through a depressing and cruel reality topped with a layer of wokeism in tales that are ebullient, memorable, and oh so entertaining.”
Booklist (starred review)
