Sign Here by Claudia Lux

Sign Here

by Claudia Lux

A darkly humorous, surprisingly poignant, and utterly gripping debut novel about a guy who works in Hell (literally) and is on the cusp of a big promotion if only he can get one more member of the wealthy Harrison family to sell their soul.

Peyote Trip has a pretty good gig in the deals department on the fifth floor of Hell. Sure, none of the pens work, the coffee machine has been out of order for a century, and the only drink on offer is Jägermeister, but Pey has a plan—and all he needs is one last member of the Harrison family to sell their soul.
 
When the Harrisons retreat to the family lake house for the summer, with their daughter Mickey’s precocious new friend, Ruth, in tow, the opportunity Pey has waited a millennium for might finally be in his grasp. And with the help of his charismatic coworker Calamity, he sets a plan in motion.
 
But things aren’t always as they seem, on Earth or in Hell. And as old secrets and new dangers scrape away at the Harrisons’ shiny surface, revealing the darkness beneath, everyone must face the consequences of their choices.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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Book Summary:

Peyote Trip, not his real name, has worked hard to get to the fifth floor of Hell. Now that he's here, it is his job to land new souls to keep this messed-up operation running smoothly. In other words, he's one of the people (demons?) you deal with when trading away your soul.

Believe it or not, Pey has a bigger plan than continuing to work up the hell-corporate ladder. All he has to do is get one more soul from the Harrison family, and he'll finally have one he needs. Just one more soul and his goals will be in range.

My Review:

Huh. I've got to admit; Sign Here was nothing like what I expected. Granted, I only briefly scanned the description when picking my BOTM choices (I like surprises when I can arrange them). I thought this would lean more toward horror and less toward dark humor and satire.

Honestly, I kind of like what I ended up getting more. Sure, a horror book would have been fun, but it's always nice to be surprised. And this satiric take on Hell was certainly that. Throw in the mystery elements, which made for a pretty unique read.

Believe it or not, Sign Here is told through multiple viewpoints. Pey is the primary perspective, with everything happening being connected to him in some way, shape, or form. It'll just take a while before those connections are made clear.

Highlights:
Mystery in hell
Dark humor
Hell as an office

Trigger Warnings:
Hell
Torture
Abusive behaviors
Self-injury, drug use, etc

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 January, 2023: Finished reading
  • 1 January, 2023: Reviewed