What if God were a teenage boy? That’s the question Meg Rosoff asks in her latest novel for teens, and the results are pretty darn funny. The god of Earth is Bob, a perpetually teenaged boy whose mother won the creation of Earth in a game of cards and decided to give the job to her son. He created Earth in a creative but rather slapdash way, which means there are some truly unique creatures, but none of it works together very well. He also had the appalling self-centeredness to not only make humankind in his own image, but to make them all worship him to boot. 

Bob isn’t necessarily a bad guy, but he’s not exactly good either – selfish, lazy, and short-tempered are all excellent descriptors for him. In order to keep things on Earth somewhat controlled, the administration assigned Mr. B, a middle-aged middle-management type, to assist Bob. Poor, poor Mr. B. Was there ever a more thankless job? Particularly now that Bob has fallen in “love” (again) with a human girl named Lucy, throwing Earth’s weather completely off-kilter.

There is No Dog is more of a gimmick than an actual novel. I don’t think there’s any way to say that without making it sound bad, although that’s not my intent. Character development here is minimal. The jacket copy makes it seem like Bob is the protagonist, but if there is one, it’s Mr. B, the middle-aged consultant. He’s the only one who experiences any growth and the only one we get a real feel for.

It’s mostly for that reason that I hesitate to call There Is No Dog a YA novel. Bob is there, but he’s always played for laughs. He’s your stereotypical teenage boy whose delusions of grandeur are, in fact, not delusions at all. Lucy is 21 and is concerned with her career and falling in love, but in a much more adult way than a teen would be. Mr. B and the Eck (more on him later) are who we really care about, and neither of them are teenagers with teenage concerns. I’m actually quite pleased to have discovered this book. It seems to fit firmly into the 20-something age range, which can be tough to find. Often it seems the shelves overflow with books for teens and middle-aged adults, with not much in between.

This was a tough review for me to write, because I’m concerned that all of those things I mentioned in the two paragraphs above make it seem like I disliked the book. Far from it – I found it delightful and clever and funny and refreshingly different. The lack of character development didn’t bother me. Rosoff’s prose carries a laugh in almost every sentence, which means that this is first and foremost a humor book. (As opposed to simply a funny book. I hope this distinction makes sense.) In a humor book, things like character development and world-building and plot coherence aren’t as important. (And here again, I worry I’m making this book seem bad. I promise you, it’s not. You should read it.)

On a somewhat unrelated note, reading this book was a very interesting exercise in ARC study. Most of the book is written in past tense, but sometimes it jumps to present. There’s no rhyme or reason to the switches. Frequently, it happens mid-page or even mid-paragraph. It makes me think it’s unintentional – perhaps Rosoff originally wrote it in one tense and switched to the other for the final draft. I haven’t been able to locate a finished copy yet, but I certainly plan to. (It should come as no surprise that I prefer the sections in past tense.)

I can’t end this review without mentioning the Eck. Eck is Bob’s pet. He’s a “penguiny” creature, the last of his kind, and all he can say is “Eck.” He is by far the most delightful thing about this book. In fact, he’s the impetus for much of its action, since Bob’s mother loses the Eck in a card game and Bob (and others) attempt to get him back before he’s eaten. Apparently, there’s a rumor floating about that Ecks are delicious. Aside from Mr. B, he’s the creature we get to know best, and the book is all the better for it.

Review copy received from the publisher at ALA Midwinter. There Is No Dog is available now.