Sex, Death, and the End of the World: Stories

Cornog gives the world a joyful eulogy for her late husband, Perper, in this collection of his humorous short stories, kept “by his side of the bed” but really demanding to be read out loud. Perper’s imagery is playfully ridiculous and often sexual, such as a self-directed penis crawling like an inchworm or a pinup picture walking around. He often relies on putting twists on classic characters, such as Santa Claus frustrated by Korean knockoffs (“And to All a Good Night”) or Valkyries opening a pleasure hotel (“Valkyries, Inc.”). However, many pieces feel dated in theme or attitude: the Devil is confused by modern sin in “Job Search,” a story that’s notably transphobic and casually racist, and in “Uncle Farkas and the Communists,” an old vampire worries about the Reds. A story about giant lemurs falls apart, and an explanation of an old Yiddish joke still isn’t funny. But Cornog succeeds in making readers believe that, had they met Perper, he would have made them laugh. [em](BookLife) [/em]