What in God's Name

A Novel

By Simon Rich (Electronic Book, 2012)

God decides to close up shop on Earth -- unless two idealistic angels can make a miracle happen

Welcome to Heaven, Inc., the grossly mismanaged corporation in the sky. For as long as anyone can remember, the founder and CEO (known in some circles as "God") has been phoning it in. Lately, he's been spending most of his time on the golf course. And when he does show up at work, it's not to resolve wars or end famines, but to Google himself and read what humans have been blogging about him.

When God decides to retire (to pursue his lifelong dream of opening an Asian Fusion restaurant), he also decides to destroy Earth. His employees take the news in stride, except for Craig and Eliza, two underpaid angels in the lowly Department of Miracles. Unlike their boss, Craig and Eliza love their jobs - uncapping city fire hydrants on hot days, revealing lost keys in snow banks - and they refuse to accept that earth is going under.

The angels manage to strike a deal with their boss. He'll call off his Armageddon, if they can solve their toughest miracle yet: getting the two most socially awkward humans on the planet to fall in love. With doomsday fast approaching, and the humans ignoring every chance for happiness thrown their way, Craig and Eliza must move heaven and earth to rescue them - and the rest of us, too.

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- Format: Electronic Book
- Price: $9.99 US/$9.99 CAN
- ISBN-13: 9780316203326
- On Sale Date: 08/07/2012
- Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Full Details
Formats Available: Trade Paperback, Hardcover Book, Electronic Book, Audiobook
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Audiobook Excerpt

God decides to close up shop on Earth -- unless two idealistic angels can make a miracle happen

Simon Rich "is still the freshest, funniest new writer today," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He has written comedy for the New Yorker, Pixar, Saturday Night Live, the Believer, and various movie studios. He's the author of two collections, Free-Range Chickens and Ant Farm. His first novel, Elliot Allagash, was optioned for a film by Jason Reitman. Rich lives in Brooklyn.

PRAISE FOR ELLIOT ALLAGASH:

"Rich is undoubtedly funny and quick-witted." (Publishers Weekly).
"An unfailingly funny and compulsively readable mix of sweet and sour that will leave readers hoping for another helping." (Booklist).
"Rich is always funny, and he nails the bogus solemnity of high-school social politics. A high-school romp that John Hughes should be so lucky to direct." (Kirkus).
"Cheerfully caustic...there are some deft emotional grace notes to enjoy...yet the inevitable warm fuzziness doesn't terribly undercut all the nasty pleasures previously provided, nor diminish expectations for the next bit of mischief. Mr. Rich is young still, with...nothing but promise ahead." (Larry Doyle, New York Times).
PRAISE FOR ANT FARM:

"[A] sweet humor collection...Rich loves to end his stories on a momentous, withering realization or snippet of dialogue...the stories tend toward the universal." (Henry Alford, New York Times).
"A satirical salmagundi that bites back...Imaginative premises abound." (Publishers Weekly).
"Rich displays a knack for extracting humor from scenarios of discomfort and despair. All [of the selections] have the same good-natured goal: finding levity amid the gravity of everyday life." (Allison Block, Booklist).