This was…a journey. I’m not sure how else to describe these stories. I can see the dark humor (I’m a fan of it) yet it didn’t hit me in the carefree way I think the author intended. While I thought a lot of it was generally funny I don’t think I’d look at them and say I loved it. It was a toss up for me.

If your idea of fiction is well-defined characters following a storyline to a definitive conclusion, you will be sorely disappointed in Haji Outlaw’s newest flash fiction anthology, “Candle Light Meals in the Devil’s Comedy Store.” None of this collection’s 15 “stories” (one story is divided into three parts) really fit this mold. Instead, a better way to describe this collection is “15 short pieces in which the author occasionally uses a traditional fiction framework of sorts to display his dark sense of humor and riff on social and political topics.” The humor doesn’t always work, but enough is spot-on to make this an enjoyable read.

This collection’s most intriguing and prophetic story is “Confederate Flags.” It’s only three pages long, but it packs a wallop. For those reading this review sometime after the book’s publication date, some chronology is in order. The story’s narrator notes the recent trend toward Confederate flag waving and the fact that some white people claim the Civil War had nothing to do with slavery. The narrator then deflates that argument in one well-written paragraph. What made this story fascinating for me was that I first received a review copy of this book from the author on November 27, 2023, which means the author penned those words sometime earlier. Fast forward one month to December 27, and presidential candidate Nikki Haley stumbled badly when she tried to deny the Civil War was about slavery. A fantastic bit of foresight on the author’s part, and, by the way, the rest of the story has some equally sharp insights.

Haji Outlaw may be farsighted, but I doubt his prediction in the book’s last story, “A Star Is Dead,” is going to come true. Of course, I’ll have to wait until 2042, when the story takes place, to find out for sure. An 80-year-old Tom Cruise decides to cap his career with the action film to end all action films, culminating in the stunt to end all stunts. The story is an excellent takedown of Cruise and the entire celebrity culture.

I also enjoyed “Anacaona’s Lemonade,” a study in entrepreneurship. An eight-year-old girl sets up a lemonade stand on her front lawn and soon runs afoul of the neighborhood bully who refuses to pay for his lemonade. He learns that there’s more to Anacaona than first meets the eye. “The Last Cocaine Hippo” doesn’t have a point to it, other than the fact that the Colombian jungle is deadly. That’s what a group of cartel soldiers find out as the author describes their demises at the hands (or paws or teeth) of the local fauna in great deadpan detail. Here, the humor lies not in what’s being told, but in how the author tells the story. “Shooter Pool” turns school shootings into a betting event as followers of one high school entrepreneur wager on which one of his classmates will become the school’s next mass murderer.

The stories I’ve summarized here aren’t necessarily the best in “Candle Light Meals,” but they are those I could best describe in two or three sentences. Others use the fiction framework to allow the author to dispense rapid-fire quips, many of which work and some don’t. Obviously, this type of book won’t be to everyone’s tastes. I even had a hard time figuring my way through some passages. But, overall, the stories have a distinct feel that uniquely belongs to the author. He includes descriptions like “Walker… flashed her pearly white teeth in a facial demonstration that resembled a constipated hyena defecating into the skull of a deceased wildebeest.” That line got a hearty laugh from me when I read it and elicited a chuckle when I just wrote it down for this review.

“Candle Light Meals in the Devil’s Comedy Store” isn’t for everyone. However, I think this review will give readers a good feeling for whether Haji Outlaw’s offbeat sense of humor will appeal to them. For those who enjoy this type of cuisine, bon appétit. You’ll get your fill and then some here.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

⭐️⭐️💫 2.5 stars

Candle Light Meals in the Devil’s Comedy Store is a collection of short stories that all a bit bizarre in nature. As with any collection, I don’t think anyone is going to love everything but the silver lining is these stories are super short and the ones that weren’t to my taste were still interesting so it was easy to read the entire set.
My personal favourites were Art/Food (a great choice to open the book!), Confederate Flags and Shooter Pool. Many of the others unfortunately I felt like the author favoured shock value over a good story and a couple of them felt too similar. I do think the author did a great job or changing the narrative voice between stories though.
Overall it’s a super easy read and very original! I just think most of them were not for me but I appreciated the opportunity to read them.

I have one of the darkest humours around (I’m constantly cracking jokes about my cancer since I was diagnosed.) This collection of flash fiction was a miss for me. EXCEPT the first story Art/Food. I flew through that one. It was red and gory and perfect. I felt like the rest was mostly about American politics so that all went over my head. I’m Canadian.

If you love short story collections and dark humour, give this one a try!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an eARC for an honest review of the book.

It’s always fun to try something new that you don’t usually feel yourself drawn to – that’s one of the joys with books and readings after all. But this collection of stories did not resonate with me, but that is a “me problem” rather than any fault in the book or how its written.

Haji Outlaw's Candle Light Meals in The Devil's Comedy Store is the best piece of dark comedy I’ve read in a long time. It ventures fearlessly into the realms of the absurd and the hilarious. Known for his work on The Eric Andre Show, Outlaw brings a unique perspective to his collection of flash fiction. The wit and humor are sharp, and Outlaw's storytelling prowess shines through. The compilation, featuring stories like 'Art/Food,' 'Operation America,' 'The Last Cocaine Hippo,' 'Can I Kick It,' and 'Wake TF Up,' is a testament to Outlaw's ability to navigate the bizarre with both wit and creativity. A great read for those who appreciate boundary-pushing comedy and enjoy a good laugh that lingers.

Get ready to have your mind twisted and your funny bone tickled with Haji Outlaw's Candle Light Meals in The Devil's Comedy Store! This ain't your grandma's bedtime stories – it's a wild journey through the absurd and downright hilarious. Imagine a world where corporate America flirts with slavery, Tom Cruise meets his unconventional end, and a hippo takes a wild ride on narcotics. Outlaw, the genius behind The Eric Andre Show, delivers a collection of flash fiction that's like a stand-up comedy special in written form. The stories, from 'Can I Kick It' to 'Wake TF Up,' are like a buffet of dark humor, each bite leaving you hungry for more. Why should you read it? Because if you're tired of the same old, same old, and want a literary adventure that's as spunky as it gets, Candle Light Meals in The Devil's Comedy Store is your ticket to a laugh riot like no other!

*Spoilers*

Haji Outlaw delivers a dark and thought inducing novella with Candle Light Meals In The Devil’s Comedy Store. The novella introduces ideas such as bringing back slavery (or something similar), hippos cracked out on drugs and even a story including murder and cannibalism. This novella is daring and can be very hilarious if the reader has that sense of humor. If Dark comedy is your thing, then definitely check out this short novella that will be a quick and entertaining read for the 2024 year.