Fup

`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 *