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.

Fup is a tale of two humans, one duck and several vats of home-brewed whisky

About the Author

Jim Dodge is the author of three novels - Fup, Not Fade Away and Stone Junction - and a collection of poetry and short prose, Rain on the River.

He lived for many years on an isolated ranch in western Sonoma County and has been by turns an apple picker, a carpet layer, a teacher, a professional gambler, a shepherd for five years, a woodcutter and an environmental restorer.

Reviews
I was a "wilderness educator" back in Texas in the mid-eighties . . . At night I used to read these tough, streetwise kids to sleep - Catcher in the Rye, The Grapes of Wrath, and a fable called Fup by Jim Dodge. They loved Fup in particular, a fable about a duck . . . I still hear from these kids - they're all over the country now and generally they're out of trouble, except for the fact that they might be reading Fup to their kids -- Colum McCann * * Paris Review * *
A fairytale ending worthy of Oscar Wilde * * Sunday Telegraph * *
You'll love it * * Independent on Sunday * *
Short, sharp and wickedly funny * * Elle * *
Delightful and constantly surprising. Jim Dodge has produced something rare: a fairy tale that is wonderfully down to earth. * * Daily Telegraph * *

A short, masterful and unusual fable.

* * The Times * *
This novel is fupped uck. * * The Times * *
Stupendous. It is a jewel, a gem, a diamond in the cesspool of life. * * San Francisco Chronicle * *
A timeless fable that is vibrant, vital, poetic and full of humanity, this is a short but perfectly formed work that you can come back to again and again. * * Waterstone's Books Quarterly * *
If you fell in love with Babe then you'll love Fup. Simple, touching and refreshingly short * * The Face * *
A pint-sized powerpack of a novel. It's got everything * * Big Issue * *
Fup shows Jim Dodge to be one of the most original literary voices * * Elle * *



Book Information
ISBN 9781782116356
Author Jim Dodge
Format Paperback
Page Count 128
Imprint Canongate Canons
Publisher Canongate Books
Weight(grams) 100g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 7mm