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 good shot at immortality. And then 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, partial to a drink herself, whose unique presence transforms the Santee household.
Hilarious, heartwarming 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.
'Fup is a pint-sized powerpack of a novel. It's got everything.'
'Dodge's prose is powered by a fertile imagination he loves to stretch. His poetry is deliberately simple and concerned with finding answers to the big questions in the most mundane places - where, as the wise know, they are always found.'
'There is a moment of real horror and loss, and then a quite beautiful resolution. The story twists and turns between Twain and Steinbeck but has a fairytale ending worthy of Oscar Wilde. By the way, Fup is the name of the duck, and apart from anything elde, this book is very funny.'
Sunday Telegraph'Fup will have you grinning from ear to ear.'
The List'A hilarious, scurrilous parable with an environmental undertow.'
Scotland on Sunday'This treasure trove of god-like genius in a tiny book is a cosmic fable of man and nature - they don't come much better than this.'
The Latest'If you fell in love with Babe then you'll be a fan of Fup - simple, touching and refreshingly short.'
The Face'A witty and spritely modern allegory - you'll love it.'
Independent on Sunday'This novel is fupped uck.'
The Times'There's reality, wisdom and wit in Jim Dodge's duck Fup tale - a pocket-sized meisterwerk.'
Herald'Short, sharp and wickedly funny - Fup shows Jim Dodge to be one of the most original literary voices.'
Elle'Delightful and constantly surprising. Jim Dodge has produced something rare: a fairy tale that is wonderfully down to earth. The illustrations, by Harry Horse, complement it superbly.'
Daily Telegraph'An extraordinary little book - a piece of American grotesque that ends with an epiphany as unexpected as it is beautiful. The writing is often as good as writing gets - expect anyone glancing at this review to make a respectable effort to read this book.'
Literary Review'Jim Dodge is a promising heir to the lineage of Twain and Melville . . . Fup is a small wonder, filled with magic and actual humanity, a generally hilarious ramble towards a tear.'
Oakland Tribune'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'What hath Jim Dodge wrought? There's 99% purity in this nutty novel.'
Gary Snyder'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 clich's of a thirsty critic: it is a jewel, a gem, a diamond in the cesspool of life.'
San Francisco Chronicle
