Genre: Satire/Humor/Short Story Collection
Description:
“Penny Pinching Tips for the Morally Bankrupt is a fantastically
funny, wonderfully weird, and surprisingly sincere collection of short stories,
humor pieces, and miscellaneous bits. In this explosively original debut, Libby
Marshall plumbs the depths of suburban despair, female desire, and the
ever-present feeling that death could claim us at any moment.
Debra, an unhappy billionaire’s wife, decides to resurrect the
18th-century trend of hiring a man to live on their property as an ornamental
garden hermit. An elderly serial killer, bored by her dull nursing home
existence, finds a deadly new purpose when her high school nemesis ends up
living down the hall. In 1953 a young couple drives to Makeout Point where
instead of an evening of heavy petting, they find mountain lions, a man with no
gaps in his teeth, and the opportunity to kill Henry Kissinger. Within these
pages, a man tries to date after losing his wife to The Salem Witch Trials, a
Wi-Fi router gains sentience, a series of cardboard boxes oozing with
smoky-sweet baked beans mysteriously appear at a woman’s front door, and a
Chuck E. Cheese is haunted by the spirit of Princess Diana.
Boldly strange, deliciously satirical, and laugh-out-loud hilarious, Penny
Pinching Tips for the Morally Bankrupt swings from the grim and ghastly to
the exquisite and lovely. This one-of-a-kind book takes the reader on a surreal
journey through the compulsory despair of daily life and concludes that the
only sensible reaction to that much pain is laughter.”
Author:
Based in Chicago, Libby Marshall is a comedic actress, performing solo
and in sketch and improv shows. Her writing has appeared in multiple
publications. This is her first book.
Appraisal:
I could imagine someone being put off by the title of this book. But
the reality is, good satire is humorous while exposing what is wrong with the
actions, people, or ideas being satirized. Although the short stories in this
collection have some dark moments due to some of the characters being
satirized, ultimately the over-the-top ridiculous actions offset any darkness
with humor. This is definitely not your typical humorous short story
collection, but it was absolutely a fun read, sometimes getting me pondering
certain types of people and always entertaining.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
FYI:
Adult language and subjects.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating: ****
Four Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words.
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