Grab the Lapels

Sympathy for the Devil by Holly Lisle

I grabbed this book from Goodwill just for the cover alone. I mean, look at it. Have you ever seen the devil look like he’s struggling with AOL? Does he dread hearing, “You’ve Got Mail”? Was he using up his 100 free hours on those discs AOL incessantly mailed to American homes? Also, who decided the devil is a lefty?

Okay, moving on. This is not a horror novel. It’s not even terribly funny, which you might assume from the cover. If anything, it is a bizarre mix of amusing little demonic creatures and a deep faith in God, which makes the target audience of Holly Lisle’s Sympathy for the Devil unknowable.

The story is about Dayne Kuttner, a nurse in a hospital who does not understand who lives and dies, or why. Somehow, this is not the focus of the novel. Instead, Dayne is at home, thinking about her deceased husband, a handsome man who cheated on her, and how his infidelity means he’s burning in Hell. She prays the most genuine prayer to God to give everyone in Hell a second chance to repent. Thus, God draws up a contract and sends it to Satan. In the contract, the damned must be released into North Carolina where Dayne lives, and rules state the damned cannot harm humans, but their bad influence may lead more living souls into Hell. Satan sends in his #2, the fallen angel Agonostis, to specifically corrupt Dayne’s soul, and he only has one month to do or he will be given as a slave to his archenemy, the fallen angel Jezerael, whose Hell stats and spreadsheets are currently better than Agonostis’s. Hell is all about data and numbers, and Lucifer is tired of poor reports. Hell is in the damnedsoul business, after all!

Totally weird little book, we have here. I love how corporate America is utilized as a model for the worldbuilding of Hell. Satan is up to his curled horns in paperwork. Meanwhile, God is lackadaisical, firm in his belief that everyone is his child, and it pains him when they do not see his love, but he has confidence. God looks at a report and has a sort of “eh” attitude. Afterall, in Sympathy for the Devil, God made everything.

If you’re not Christian, the book’s faith elements are pronounced. If you are Christian, you likely won’t appreciate a fictionalized, playful version of religion. So, who would read this book? Mass market paperbacks like these went out cheaply and made some money. The end. They’re not meant for longevity. Lisle does capture the pain of databases and spreadsheets — that rat race to get ahead using these newfangled computers — that was so prominent in 1990s office culture, so there is a nostalgia factor.

I never fully understood any of the characters’ personalities other than God and Satan. Both had clear objectives and ways of being, whereas the other main characters — Dayne, Agonostis, and Jezerael — were fluid. One minute, Agonostis is corrupting souls at the mall through fornication, the next, he’s blushing like a teen after a rather passionate kiss with Dayne. And for fallen angels with centuries of experience, you’d think Agonostis and Jezerael would be harder to outsmart.

One bonus is Holly Lisle does a great job coming up with ways that Satan will punish his underlings. The time period is typically one million years, but the ways in which his imps, demons, fallen angels, and human souls will suffer is creative. Nothing graphic, but you definitely think “yeesh, that sounds terrible!”

Unknown's avatar

Published by Grab the Lapels

I'm a graduate of the MFA fiction writing program at the University of Notre Dame, which inspired me to follow along with trends in teaching, publishing, and reviewing. I also have an MA and BS from Central Michigan University. I used to teach composition, creative writing, and literature in higher education, then did a brief stint at a civic theater, followed by two years at a references desk at a public library. I'm now working toward my ASL Interpreter license.

31 comments

  1. Your review paints such a vivid picture of “Sympathy for the Devil” and dives deep into the quirky juxtaposition of the corporate and the infernal. The cover art anecdote is a delightful opener that sets the stage for the book’s offbeat tone. It’s interesting how you point out the book’s struggle with its target audience, given its blend of humor, office satire, and theological elements. The corporate model of Hell is certainly an amusing concept that resonates with anyone familiar with the ’90s office life. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this “weird little book”!

    Like

    Reply

    • I shared this cover art on a Facebook group called Retro Horror Paperbacks, or something like that. It’s devoted solely to old paperback horror covers. There was something just wonderful about the 70’s and 80’s and all the covers that were made, even beyond horror, into genres like teen fiction or romance. Now, all the covers look the same. I think the target audience is fuzzy because the novel really wants you to trust in God and suggests you’ll find peace if only you turn toward your creator. As an atheist, that message makes me cringe, but then we spend time in Hell and get the complete opposite. Maybe this book would speak to an agnostic. Thanks for your comment!

      Like

      Reply

  2. Who made the devil a leftie? The left hand is ‘sinister’, so that’s probably it. I don’t remember much of my childhood religion, but I thought god forgave everyone, so who goes to hell? I’ve just finished reading Ryka Aoki’s The Light from Uncommon Stars – another book where the devil works hard collecting souls (I should review it before it goes out of my head).

    Like

    Reply

    • When I was in elementary school, few things were as discouraging as having to try to cut construction paper with the “LEFTY” scissors. Perhaps Lucifer, as a function of his own punishment, is doomed to always be using his off hand regardless of which hand he is using. This book was amusing. Some would say the soundtrack of Hell must be heavy metal. This book makes it sound more like it would be hold music while you are waiting to talk to an insurance provider.

      Like

      Reply

    • I also wondered about this left-handed devil because that means he had a left-handed computer mouse, too. It doesn’t just work naturally. Or, I think there is a thing where you can change the settings to make the house be a lefter. Hmmmm.

      Like

      Reply

  3. Obviously the devil would be left-handed! That’s the demonic hand!

    What a bizarre book! It’s not one I would ever gravitate toward but hell as an office full of spreadsheets is very funny.

    Like

    Reply

    • I’ve heard of Supernatural but not seen it. I did watch the whole series of The Good Place, where Hell looks so enjoyable, but due to some bureaucratic weirdness, everyone was going to Hell.

      Like

      Reply

  5. Well, 1, that cover would not at all make me think “buy me” (you won’t be surprised to here), and 2, the cover would not make me expect something funny (though perhaps if I were into horror books, I would pick that possibility). SO, I was reading your post half-heartedly – reading it because I like reading you but half-heartedly because the book was not of high interest to me – until I got to the paragraph in which you say you “love how corporate America is utilized as a model for the worldbuilding of Hell”. From then on I was really interested – still not in reading the book but in what it was about and your assessment. Would you call it a satirical novel given its use of corporate America in that way? An allegory?

    Like

    Reply

    • The computer looks straight out of the 90’s and Satan is trying to click the mouse with those giant claws. This book HAD to be humor.

      I’m guessing the office culture of America is what is being made fun of here. Recently, I’ve read that Americans are moving to Europe to run offices there, and they are completely clashing with the work style there. Most folks take to Reddit to complain about bosses who can’t reach employees after hours, or that no one responds to emails when they get home, or how when it’s quitting time people actually leave. I didn’t realize how toxic our work culture is until we foisted it upon some hapless Europeans. We will work ourselves to death. If you’ve read Animal Farm, Americans are the horse, and proud of it.

      Like

      Reply

      • It’s interesting … Mr Gums found American work culture inflexible and quite hierarchical in that we have hierarchies here but there does tend to be a collegial relationship in our experience between bosses and workers (in white collar jobs, anyhow). But this was the 80s and 90s. I don’t know what it’s like now. I do fear that we have a bit of the 24/7 sort of working culture now that you seem to be describing. Good on the Europeans if they’ve managed to keep a more sensible balance.

        Re the cover I did notice the computer, but the whole look is not one that would capture my attention, so I wouldn’t look at the detail. I just see horror genre!

        Like

        Reply

  6. This fascinates me! As a religious studies teacher who spends a lot of time teaching at that intersection of theology and pop culture, everything you said here hooked me. There is a chance I maaaaaaaay be looking for this on eBay later today.

    Or already, as I’m typing this.

    Maybe.

    Who knows?

    Also, I can tell you with absolute certainty, no matter what my day holds, I will be thinking of “Have you ever seen the devil look like he’s struggling with AOL? Does he dread hearing, ‘You’ve Got Mail’? Was he using up his 100 free hours on those discs AOL incessantly mailed to American homes?” for the rest of it! Ahhhhhh, I love this so much!

    Like

    Reply

      • Hahaha, yes, it has gotten pretty long again. But that’s the story of my life – my hair’s long, then really long, then I get annoyed with it and chop it all off super short, then the cycle repeats. And my hair is certainly on the longer end of that cycle now!

        Oh my gosh, thank you SO MUCH! That’s so very generous! And yes, I do still have your email. I’ve been computer free for the second half of my weekend but I’ll be in the ol’ email bag again soon and then reach out. Ahh, I can’t wait to read this! What a great message to find waiting for me :). Thank you!

        Like

        Reply

    • Ha, I love that phrase, “given new life to.” I’ll bet this book make a fun little splash when it came out and then died a sad death on Goodwill shelves, which is where I found it. Now I’m trying to think which other weird books I’ve reviewed. OH! A Nun in the Closet has to be on the list, LOL.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  9. She pegged Hell as corporate America perfectly! 😀 As for the Devil being left handed, of course, since the left hand is the sinister one. Sounds mildly entertaining, but the cover at least is pretty awesome!

    Like

    Reply

    • I think you hit the nail on the head with that last sentence! I shared the cover of this book in a Facebook group called Retro Horror Paperback Covers, or something like that, and they went wild for it. The comments were hilarious.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. “Also, who decided the devil is a lefty?” I don’t know who decided it, but I believe that once upon a time, it was considered bad to be left-handed because of some relation to the devil and it was tortured out of people? Like, people were hit on their knuckles if they used their left hand. Or I’ve made all of this up. Either is possible. :3

    Like

    Reply

Insert 2 Cents Here: