Wonderdog

Wonderdog, by Inman Majors (2004)

Dev Degraw is the recently divorced and perpetually uninspired son of the governor of the state of Alabama. A child actor in a bad television show, Dev is a man who is both dogged by his past and resigned to a future over which he seems to lack any control.

Though he is a trained attorney, the "young governor" hasn't practiced a case in months. Aside from political favors and appearances for his father Dev does little more than while away his time in Tuscaloosa bars, where he runs rather large tabs. The cast of supporting characters is varied, coming from the bars and from the seat of power in Montgomery among other places.

Told with extreme sarcasm this tale is a laugh-out-loud funny joyride that’s hard to put down. Majors peppers his staccato delivery with contempt for the small and insignificant lives of his extras, yet his protagonist seems to have little going for him but his name. The author brilliantly couples the rudderless Degraw with a larger-than-life supporting cast. The accounts of poets who have an affinity for dairy products and C-list actors who struggle to revive their careers combine to keep the reader caught off guard and frequently laughing.

Like the best tall tales, Majors’ story accomplishes what it sets out to do: make the reader shake his head in disbelief as he eagerly turns the pages. The result is one of the funnier books that this reviewer has read in several years. For fans of the zany and eccentric this one is not to be missed. Highly recommended for adult readers.