What in God's Name - Softcover

Rich, Simon

3.81

5,192 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316133744 ISBN 13: 9780316133746

Publisher: Back Bay Books, 2013

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Welcome to Heaven, Inc., the grossly mismanaged corporation in the sky. For as long as anyone can remember, the founder and CEO (known in some circles as 'God') has been phoning it in. Lately, he's been spending most of his time on the golf course. And when he does show up at work, it's not to resolve wars or end famines, but to Google himself and read what humans have been blogging about him.

When God decides to retire (to pursue his lifelong dream of opening an Asian Fusion restaurant), he also decides to destroy Earth. His employees take the news in stride, except for Craig and Eliza, two underpaid angels in the lowly Department of Miracles. Unlike their boss, Craig and Eliza love their jobs - uncapping city fire hydrants on hot days, revealing lost keys in snow banks - and they refuse to accept that earth is going under.

The angels manage to strike a deal with their boss. He'll call off his Armageddon, if they can solve their toughest miracle yet: getting the two most socially awkward humans on the planet to fall in love. With doomsday fast approaching, and the humans ignoring every chance for happiness thrown their way, Craig and Eliza must move heaven and earth to rescue them - and the rest of us, too.

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Review:

Praise for WIGN:
Divinely funny

(Vanity Fair 2012-07-01)

Deliciously funny (Kirkus 2012-07-31)

one of the funniest writers in America . . . Rich evokes enough of the hellish qualities of Earth (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Walmart, a screenplay for Finnegans Wake) and of the little things that we'll miss (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Walmart, a screenplay for Finnegans Wake) that it feels like a little love letter to the world. Thanks, life. Good of you to let me drop by. (Daily Beast 2012-08-01)

Truly hilarious (Eva Wiseman Observer 2012-08-05)

A light, amusing and readable book with a very modern take on the afterlife. (We Love This Book)

hilarious and touching . . . rest assured that you're in good hands here...obviously Rich is crazy good at hysterical sharp dialogue. But the bonus here is that his head is matched by his heart. Rich lends the potentially gimmicky story real emotional heft and avoids condescending to his characters (or readers). At its best, WHAT IN GOD'S NAME reads like a screenplay for a film that might sit comfortably beside Woody Allen's early absurd works in a Netflix queue . . . a clever, endearing novel. (Entertainment Weekly 2012-08-09)

Elliot Allagash, drew comparisons to Evelyn Waugh and P. G. Wodehouse. His new novel, What in God's Name, evokes another titan of English comedy: Douglas Adams. . . Funny and occasionally touching, What in God's Name is satire that avoids sanctimony . . . Rich knows how to balance the smart with the funny. When What in God's Name bares its teeth, it's because it's laughing. (Patrick Cassels New York Times 2012-08-03)

This depiction of the Almighty as an affable-but-oblivious overgrown frat boy probably isn't what you'd expect, especially if you happen to belong to a religion in which God does not use profanity and refer to "Free Bird" as his "jam." But that's the beauty of WHAT IN GOD'S NAME . . . it's as unpredictable as it is funny, and it's one of the best American comic novels of the past few years . . . Not too many authors could pull off a plot this gleefully absurd, but Rich mostly keeps a straight face throughout - like any great comedian, he's committed to the joke, and he doesn't break. His vision of heaven is both original and hilarious . . . the most amazing thing about WHAT IN GOD'S NAME is its unrelenting sweetness . . . The young author has an obvious affection for the underdog, and a soft spot for those who work hard at what they do. It's that sensibility that makes WHAT IN GOD'S NAME a near-perfect work of humor writing - strikingly original, edgy but compassionate, and most importantly, deeply hilarious. (Michael Schaub NPR.org 2012-08-08)

A romcom with Armageddon hanging in the balance, it's written with a lightness of touch that makes it a breezy read (Alastair Mabbott Glasgow Herald 2012-08-25)

Sweetly funny and moving (Kate Tuttle Boston Sunday Globe 2012-08-19)

Book Description:

God decides to close up shop on Earth - unless two idealistic angels can make a miracle happen

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