Name: Fup
Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)

Jim Dodge

A Story

Sarah Sammis

What an odd book. The north bay aspect of the story was interesting. Given the themes and language of this book, I wouldn't consider it a children's book--maybe a young adult book but certainly not a children's book. I'm glad the book was not much more than a novella because I'm not sure Dodge would have had enough to stretch this story into something longer.

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.

A Modern Fable

Lisa-Marie King

Loved this book! Didn't expect the ending :)

Ynze van der Spek

Fup, a fucked up duck, is one of my all-time favourite books. It's a short, hilarious, powerful and a mind boggling fable about an enormous female mallard duck, who enters the lives of a liquor-drenched granddaddy and his grandson. During it's life Fup heals them both and then leaves them in a beautiful, spectacular way.

The story is both bizarre yet very realistic, earth bound yet spiritual. And, while reading it, I knew it could only be true.

The beauty of the story for me is it's simplicity. It's about ordinary people who have a simple purpose. By following that purpose, no matter what, they live extraordinary lives, guided by an obese, alcoholic, spiritual being. Fup.

I'm very aware that my love for Fup can be a very personal experience. But I think Jim Dodge touches universal themes in the story. If you like, please read the little book and tell me how you experienced the story.

Fup A Story

Reviews

Highlights