There Is No Dog

What if the creator of the earth were a lazy, self-indulgent adolescent boy? He is still all-powerful, all-seeing, and all that, but he's also feckless and horny, letting his reckless sex drive control him as he wreaks havoc on the planet. Steven Boyer narrates with a wonderfully wry tone that takes listeners into his confidence. His characterizations are thoroughly enjoyable; characters range from a petulant and whiny Creator to a proper British administrative assistant; a young, soft-spoken zookeeper; and a nasal, thick-voiced creature called an Eck (whose only vocalizations are also its name). Boyer keeps this short philosophical experiment on track while recounting all the wacky hi-jinks caused by an adolescent god. G.D. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Starred review from November 7, 2011
Rosoff (Just in Case) looks at the world’s natural disasters, injustices, and chaos and presents a perfectly reasonable explanation: God is a horny teenage boy. According to this gleefully heretical account, God, aka “Bob,” was given Earth by his mother, who won the planet in a poker game. Bob showed flashes of brilliance during Creation, but he feels little responsibility for the planet. When he falls head-over-heels in lust with a beautiful zoo employee, Lucy, Bob’s passion and growing anger toward those who would keep them apart is manifested through wildly fluctuating weather and rampant flooding. Meddling, peevish, and self-absorbed, Rosoff’s pantheon recalls the squabbling deities of Greek and Norse mythology. She takes gleeful pleasure in reducing God to an inept, lovelorn child, her takedowns often delivered through the dry observations of Bob’s industrious assistant, Mr. B., who “marvels that the same God who leaves his dirty clothes in a moldering heap by the side of the bed could have created golden eagles and elephants and butterflies.” Traditionalists may bristle, but there’s no denying that Rosoff’s writing and sense of humor are a force of nature themselves. Ages 12–up.

April 1, 2013

Gr 7-10-Rosoff offers an intriguing look at what the world would be like if God was actually a horny, hormonal, and self-centered teenage boy named Bob. Whenever Bob falls in love, natural disasters follow, leaving his assistant at his wits' end. Bob's latest love is Lucy, a zoo volunteer hoping for love and falling head over heels for Bob, though she grapples with his confusing random presences and disappearances. Bob's mother has lost his "beloved" pet in a card game, further compounding his emotional eruptions. Rosoff has created much for discussion, whether one believes in God or not, and narrator Steven Boyer competently performs the material. The pacing and delay between tracks is moderately frustrating, but Boyer quickly draws listeners back into the story. He uses appropriately whiny tones to voice the moody teenage boy. While listeners will never be confused as to whose point of view is being conveyed, Boyer most distinctly voices Bob and his mother. While not a first purchase, listeners will likely contemplate the points raised long after they finish the book.-Stephanie A. Squicciarini, Teen Services Librarian, Fairport (NY) Public Library

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