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As playful as they sound, these fifteen stories are caricatures inspired by place names, such as Monty Carlow, Al Abama, and Mel Bourne. Jen Eva, daughter of a brick and mortar businessman, becomes a big shot shot-putter, so big that she squashes a kid when she sits on him accidentally. Another female athlete, Kath Mandu, goes into politics after her famous cricket career, followed by a religious pilgrimage. After that, she becomes a sportscaster. Frank Sumatra and Cam Bodia are male celebrities. However, their fame and fortune lead to demise.
Satire and just desserts for the corrupt are themes that hit close enough to home to remain relevant and realistic, but the stories' exaggerations confirm their fictional nature. Wanton violence and collusion among religious and government officials are common threads. As characters find themselves pushed to the limits of their fame or wealth, the text also pushes the boundaries of language, using alliteration, idiom, and puns at every turn. While the prose is original, the characters seem to repeat themselves, like the many sex-driven women and dilatant politicians.
The stories race through their plots with comic book speed. Illustrations highlight the whimsical tone. Mounting as many antics per story as possible takes precedence over character development. Saving the best for last, Cam Bodia displays the most detail about the smallest cast, featuring horse dealers and racers in Australia, the author's home. The daughter of a pope, Lucretia Georgia is another character at the end of the collection receiving fuller attention than most. All the stories serve up heaping portions of literary slapstick and help readers laugh at how they themselves might be reflected in these hilarious cut-ups.