A Dirty Job
Encyclopedia
A Dirty Job is the ninth novel by Christopher Moore, published in 2006. While reflecting the author's absurdist
tendencies, the content of the novel draws in no small part from his own experiences in tending to the needs of close family and friends who were in the stages of dying.
") who leads a satisfying life as the owner and proprietor of a second-hand store in San Francisco. At the moment when his wife Rachel unexpectedly dies in the hospital shortly after the birth of their first child (Sophie), Charlie becomes involved in a new sideline of retrieving the souls of the dying, so as to protect them from the forces of the underworld. He only gradually realizes the ramifications of this business as various clues and complications unfold. Ultimately Charlie resolves to confront directly the forces of darkness.
. An unabridged commercial compact disc recording of A Dirty Job has been issued with narration by Fisher Stevens
. As of August 2006 the motion picture rights have been acquired by Chris Columbus
and his company, 1492 Productions.http://bbs.chrismoore.com/viewtopic.php?t=8462 In October A Dirty Job won the 2006 Quill Award
in the category of General Fiction.http://www.thequills.org/2006.html
and, because of the story's San Francisco setting (where Bloodsucking Fiends
took place), Jody (unnamed in a cameo appearance
), The Emperor (and his two "soldiers", Bummer and Lazarus), and the detectives Alphonse Rivera and Nick Cavuto. Jody's meeting with Charlie Asher is also shown, from her perspective, in You Suck: A Love Story, the continuation of Bloodsucking Fiends.
Charlie Asher is also referenced several times in Bite Me: A Love Story.
Absurdist fiction
Absurdist fiction is a genre of literature, most often employed in novels, plays or poems, that focuses on the experiences of characters in a situation where they cannot find any inherent purpose in life, most often represented by ultimately meaningless actions and events...
tendencies, the content of the novel draws in no small part from his own experiences in tending to the needs of close family and friends who were in the stages of dying.
Plot
The story centers on Charlie Asher, a "beta-male" (as opposed to "alpha-maleAlpha (biology)
In social animals, the alpha is the individual in the community with the highest rank. Where one male and one female fulfill this role, they are referred to as the alpha pair...
") who leads a satisfying life as the owner and proprietor of a second-hand store in San Francisco. At the moment when his wife Rachel unexpectedly dies in the hospital shortly after the birth of their first child (Sophie), Charlie becomes involved in a new sideline of retrieving the souls of the dying, so as to protect them from the forces of the underworld. He only gradually realizes the ramifications of this business as various clues and complications unfold. Ultimately Charlie resolves to confront directly the forces of darkness.
Movie rights and popularity
Shortly after its release, A Dirty Job reached 9th place on the New York Times Best Seller listNew York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
. An unabridged commercial compact disc recording of A Dirty Job has been issued with narration by Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens is an American actor, director and producer. His most recent successes include the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film The Cove and 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film Crazy Love...
. As of August 2006 the motion picture rights have been acquired by Chris Columbus
Chris Columbus (filmmaker)
Christopher Joseph "Chris" Columbus is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Columbus had his largest success with the first two films in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, along with Home Alone, the last...
and his company, 1492 Productions.http://bbs.chrismoore.com/viewtopic.php?t=8462 In October A Dirty Job won the 2006 Quill Award
Quill Awards
The Quill Award was an American literary award that ran for three years in 2005-07. It was a "consumer-driven award created to inspire reading while promoting literacy." The Quills Foundation, the organization behind the Quill Award, was supported by a number of notable media corporations,...
in the category of General Fiction.http://www.thequills.org/2006.html
Appearances of characters from previous novels
A few characters from Moore's earlier novels continue their lives in this story: Minty Fresh from Coyote BlueCoyote Blue
Coyote Blue is the second novel by Christopher Moore, published in 1994.The plot concerns a salesman in Santa Barbara, California named Sam Hunter who, as a teenager, fled his home when he was involved in the death of a law officer...
and, because of the story's San Francisco setting (where Bloodsucking Fiends
Bloodsucking Fiends
Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story is the third novel by Christopher Moore, published in 1995. It combines elements of the supernatural and of the romance novel.-Plot summary:...
took place), Jody (unnamed in a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
), The Emperor (and his two "soldiers", Bummer and Lazarus), and the detectives Alphonse Rivera and Nick Cavuto. Jody's meeting with Charlie Asher is also shown, from her perspective, in You Suck: A Love Story, the continuation of Bloodsucking Fiends.
Charlie Asher is also referenced several times in Bite Me: A Love Story.
External links
- Author's own website for the book, including excerpt of first chapter
- The Beta-Male Manifesto (in the author's blog, drawn partly from the novel):
- Memory book with photographs from Moore's book-signing tour for the original hardback edition during 21 March-23 April 2006
- Audio MP3 podcast of Moore's appearance on 28 March 2006 at the Tattered Cover Bookstore, DenverDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Colorado
- Audio MP3 podcast of Moore's appearance on 28 March 2006 at the Tattered Cover Bookstore, Denver
- The "sartorial creature" dolls of Monique Motil, which provided the inspiration for the "squirrelSquirrelSquirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
people" in Moore's novel