A review by lilyreads
Beware of God: Stories by Shalom Auslander

3.0

Very funny overall – not surprising, coming from Auslander – but often too on the nose and bordering on one-note in its blanket darkness. Most of the stories felt unsurprising. I loved a lot the concepts: God as a hitman, God as the schmucky least-favorite client of an advertising agency, God as creator or caretaker (Charles Schulz, a guy who made some golems, hamster owner). But the outcomes were too obvious, too easy, as though it were shocking enough to mock the hypocritical nature of religious leaders to hang the crux of a story on it. I'm all for a good mocking, but it's not exactly a twist.

I did enjoy it, though, especially (as others here have said) the story "Holocaust Tips for Kids". Whether or not you're religious, I think anyone who's had a Jewish upbringing will get a kick out of the book. Just don't expect anything you haven't seen before in one form or another.