PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Ferrari's allegorical fantasy debut updates the Book of Job, setting it in contemporary California.Once again, God and Lucifer wager all of Creation itself on the strength of one human soul. This time, they've chosen nine-year-old Joby Peterson, who's obsessed with King Arthur and notions of chivalry - which isn't too surprising, because he's Arthur reincarnated. As Joby grows up, Lucifer (who's so petulant and tantrum-prone it's difficult to take him seriously) and his minions harass the mortal with petty annoyances; failure in his studies, work and love; and an escalating series of tragedies designed to convince him that his best efforts to help others will only cause them pain. Joby's sole weapons against Lucifer's campaign are his indomitable stubbornness and the mysterious inhabitants of an oddly idyllic coastal town called Taubolt. Will Joby succumb to despair and renounce the folksy, annoyingly cryptic and apparently indifferent Creator? Is the answer ever really in doubt?Just quirky, clever, sincere and sporadically uplifting enough to balance the depressing nature of Joby's many trials. (Kirkus Reviews)
