Wrap-up & Discussion Questions

A Dirty Job

by Christopher Moore

(spoilers ahead)

Dramatis Personae

Charlie Asher – Unwilling Hero, Death Merchant, Beta-Male

Rachel Asher – Wife of Charlie, mother of Sophie, fan of Sarah McLachlan

Sophie Asher – Daughter of Charlie, deadly with “kitty” at 100 yards, Luminatus

Minty Fresh – Death Merchant, CD store owner, wielder of massive handguns

Jane Asher – Sister of Charlie, Aunt of Sophie, lover of Cassie, connoisseur of fine Italian suits

Cassie – Jane’s partner, “Anti-Semite” according to some

Lily – Charlie’s employee, celebrant of the macabre, inadvertantly offers sexual advice to little girls

Ray – Charlie’s employee, Ex-cop with Batman-like neck mobility, star-crossed lover of Filipino men, possible serial killer

Mohammad and Alvin – Hellhounds, Garbage Disposals

Audrey – Tibetan monk turned taxidermist

Morrigan – Badb, Macha, Nemain – Raven-bodied sewer harpies who may enjoy rubbing one out before rubbing you out

Orcus – Bull headed god of the underworld

The Emperor – Self declared benevolent ruler of San Francisco, presides with his companions Bummer and Lazarus

Alphonse Rivera – San Francisco Detective, Deus Ex Machina

Mrs Korjev – Charlie’s Ukrainian tenant, Sophie’s babysitter who is reliable like bear

Mrs Ling – Charlie’s Eastern tenant, Sophie’s babysitter with eclectic tastes

Discussion Questions

1. A Dirty Job utilizes a number of genres: fantasy, surrealism, science fiction, modern fable, comic novel etc. What genre to you feel best describes the novel?
2. How does the opening scene at Rachel's bedside, in which Charlie first encounters Minty Fresh, foreshadow Charlie's reluctant role as Death Merchant?
3. Moore wrote of Charlie, “Until he became death, he never felt so alive.” Relate this statement to Charlie’s development as a Hero.
4. How do the efforts of the Morrigan (Babd, Nemain, and Macha) and Orcus to reclaim the Above with their dark powers come into conflict with Charlie's work as a Death Merchant?
5. A number of characters in A Dirty Job are primarily comic, most notably the Hellhounds, Alvin and Mohammed, and Sophie's babysitters, Mrs. Korjev and Mrs. Ling. Why might the author have chosen to incorporate so much humor into a novel about the business of death?
6. Why does Charlie avoid discussing his secret identity with his sister, Jane, who serves as his sounding board and shoulder to cry on throughout the novel?
7. Weird things happen in the San Francisco of A Dirty Job. How did you reconcile the impossibly fantastic occurrences in this novel with the more commonplace events?
8. A Dirty Job incorporates various religious viewpoints: Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, etc. Do these views come in conflict with the story?
9. How are Audrey and the squirrel people significant in ending the reign of the Morrigan, and why do Charlie and Audrey fall in love with each other so suddenly?
10. How does Inspector Alphonse Rivera facilitate Charlie's mission against the Morrigan, and in what respects does he impede it?
11. What’s the deal with the squirrel people? Seriously? Squirrel People? And how accurate is that name? I mean, the large majority were made up of anything but squirrel. I’m just saying…
12. A Hero’s journey to the Underworld is a common literary device. How is Charlie’s journey similar to other accounts and in what ways unique?
13. In what respects does the death of Charlie Asher at the end of A Dirty Job seem inevitable? Were you at all surprised that the author decided to kill him off?
14. Was it necessary for Charlie to die in order for the novel to “work”?
15. Was the identity of the Luminatus intended to be kept a mystery, or do you believe Moore planned for the reader to pick-up on it before Charlie? In what ways did this help or hurt the novel?
16. Why did Moore utilize “real” mythical creatures with the Morrigan, but manufacture others like the Luminatus?
17. How did Moore’s handling of Rachel’s death make you feel about Charlie?
    By Christopher Moore
18. Christopher Moore has been described as a “cult author”. Do you feel this is an accurate description? If so, does his current popularity and recognition hurt this title?
19. Moore said of his readers that he hopes they feel as though they are “on the inside of an inside joke”. As you read A Dirty Job, do you feel Moore succeeded?
20. What would you choose as your soul vessel?