There is a plot, of course. It centers on young Lionel Savage, a proper gentleman who runs out of money and so must marry it. While hiding from one of his wife's society parties (he does not love his wife, as he makes plain. He is the narrator, by the way) his solitude is broken by a visit from THE GENTLEMAN, none other than the devil himself.
The next thing Mr. Savage knows, his wife is gone and he's quite sure that he inadvertently sold her to the Devil (of Dev'l as he prefers to say it. He is a poet and only needs the one syllable). He wants to get her back, and in league with his brother-in-law he attempts to organize an adventure to Hell to rescue his wife, whom he suddenly realizes he loves.
Silly? Silly indeed, but told with such over-the-top dialogue and absurb humour that you will thoroughly enjoy this madness. The creativity is striking, as Mr. Savage and his coterie try to figure out how one gets to Hell. Some have compared this novel to the work of P.G. Wodehouse, and that is perhaps the best way to put it.
I highly recommend this book to all who need a break from a world too filled with harsh reality. Take a small vacation and get lost in some witty prose.
With thanks to Penguin Random House for the early review copy.
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