My Boss is the Devil

by Ben Schenkman

I often brag about how I read books for which I don’t see myself being the target audience. I believe it’s important to look at the world from different perspective and in different contexts. Life is too complex and there’s no mountain high enough to see the entire world. As with all books, some hit the spot, and some are not for me, but for the most part, I enjoy it. Once in a while, however, it’s great to read a book that feels like it’s written just for me.

My Boss is the Devil is one such book. The story begins with the main character making himself a pour over coffee, and from there on, it just keeps ticking off boxes of things I can relate to, identify with, or wish for. Messy bachelor main character. Cute goth girl love interest. Deluded satanists. Complicated moral quandaries and existential questions. Abusive jerks getting their just deserts. The desire to try and do what good you can with what little you have. Coffee – lots and lots of coffee.

Our main character, Nick, is offered a deal with the devil: a chance to make a positive difference in the world in exchange for his soul – his free will. Naturally, there are questions. Big questions, small questions, and very few answers. What’s a soul? How much is it worth? Can the devil be trusted? Does the end justify the means? What is good? What is evil?

I’m only vaguely familiar with what religious texts say about the devil (or other personification representing “the bad guys”), but I’ve consumed enough popular fiction to view the devil as someone who cannot, and should not, be trusted. The idea of someone making a deal with the devil makes me uneasy, and my expectation is that, eventually, Nick will realise he’s getting screwed over in some way. This sense of unease hangs in the background as an ever-present reminder that the story, probably, won’t end well for Nick, no matter what he does or what choices he makes. In the end, he’s gotten involved with the devil, and from what I’ve read, that never ends well.

Even so, the book isn’t gloomy, or even particularly dark. For the most part it’s a slice-of-life, borderline cozy, contemporary fantasy story about a young man finding his feet in the world and doing pretty well at it. Almost a bit of a wish fulfilment power fantasy. I too would like a rewarding job, a pretty girlfriend who’s also my best friend, and the opportunity to do good things.

It’s just that Nick’s boss is the Devil, and that’s a shadow that’s hard to step out of.

What I’ll whine about

Well, I already ranted quite a bit about the whole Devil thing, but that really is my main issue with the book, and I’m not even sure it’s a complaint. The book would not be the same without it, but it still makes me uneasy. It may even be intended.

Had the book been darker, grimmer, or more gloomy, I’d probably have felt different about it. As it is now, there’s this vague uncertainty about where the story is going that I find a bit unsettling. I can’t see it ending well, which is a strong contrast against how everything else seems to be going mostly just fine for Nick.

I guess I’ll just have to read the sequel.

What I’ll gush about

Despite me spending most of this review complaining about the inclusion of the devil (which is the linchpin of the entire idea of the story), it’s still a great book.

I listened to the audio version, narrated by the author himself, and I found it easy to get lost in the performance. Nick is someone I can relate to and identify with – flaws and all. 

The Devil himself. Yes, I know… Still, apart from that, the way he’s portrayed is really interesting, along with his priorities. Yes, he wants your soul, and he’s willing to pay, but he doesn’t come off as either evil or good. Rather, he’s a business man who seems to subscribe to the notion that whatever is best for his employees is best for his company – kind of. In a way, that just makes him even more suspicious.

All in all, the characterisation of the Devil works really well within the context of the story, and it makes a lot of sense to me. I just haven’t seen him portrayed in quite this way before.

Final Words

My Boss is the Devil is a charming, almost cozy, little story about selling your soul to the devil in exchange for the chance to make the world a better place.

Find My Boss is the Devil on Goodreads.