Fat Bald Jeff

Book excerpt: “A slacker hell [with] a disgruntled, wisecracking protagonist . . . A hilarious send-up of hippies and hipsters” from the author of Permanent Record (Kirkus Reviews). Addie Prewitt is a copyeditor for the National Association of Libraries. When her boss, the repulsive Coddles, heaps another new project on her department—with no additional remuneration naturally—she decides she’s had enough. While spending her days battling with her roommate about whether Black Sabbath or Neil Diamond will occupy the turntable and her nights beating her overeager suitor away from the door of her boudoir, Addie discovers a piece of vile pornography in Coddles’s dry cleaning. Finally, she has the means to retaliate. Meanwhile, Fat Bald Jeff, the tech-support guy who has to cope with her mechanical self-sabotage, turns out to be even more disaffected than she, and they hatch the ultimate plan to give the pigs some of their own medicine. With a surreal wit and a keen eye that bring to mind Lily Tomlin set loose in Dilbert-world, Fat Bald Jeff is a sharp satire and a paean to the petty humiliations of workers everywhere. “Stella provides a lot of freshly imagined fun . . . There are so many funny lines and scenes that even librarians may like it. As for the lumpen—they’ll love it.” —San Francisco Chronicle “Warm the pockets of your heart watching this bereft waif find a little happiness in life.” —Mademoiselle “Amusing . . . caustic . . . entertaining . . . Read on company time!” —US Weekly “A fun, harmless, and quick read. Don’t look for inspiration, just amusement.” —Booklist