HUGE

A novel

By: Brent Butt

Narrated by: Brent Butt

AN INSTANT #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER

The award-winning screenwriter and International Emmy nominee is now a literary success with this unexpectedly dark and twisted thriller.

It's 1994, and three stand-up comedians have embarked on a tour of smaller communities across a remote stretch of rural countryside. Dale is a forty-something comic from Chicago who's on the back half of a mediocre career and thinking about quitting the business. Rynn is a twenty-something fast-rising comedy star from Dublin with a big Hollywood break on her horizon. The third performer is a local act, a late addition to the bill who has agreed to open the shows and do all the driving. He goes by the name Hobie Huge, and he is, indeed, enormous. His comedic ability, however, is not. He's weirdly eager, annoyingly enthusiastic and brutally unfunny. All of which wouldn't be so bad . . . if the brutality ended there. By the time Dale and Rynn realize Hobie's true talents and disturbing motivation, it may be too late—and their tour becomes less about getting laughs and more about getting off the road alive.

Critic reviews

AN INSTANT #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER

"Fans of Corner Gas who pick up Butt's first novel may be in for a surprise. . . . Butt's knowledge of standup provides the granular detail, but his sense of pace and timing (both essential qualities for a comedian) are here well deployed in the service of much darker, nastier material. And the biggest surprise is how entertaining the whole thing is." —Toronto Star

"An incredibly propulsive read. . . . Huge is full of some great storytelling, sharp observances and authentic characters." —Winnipeg Free Press

"Butt kills with a darkly comic thriller that could only be written by someone who knows there are worse things than dying on stage." —Linwood Barclay, bestselling author of Take Your Breath Away and Find You First

"A clever tribute to the craft of comedy. And the eerie itches it's used to scratch." —Charles Demers, author of Primary Obsessions

"Full of ironic humour. But I still found myself scared. Like . . . Silence of the Lambs scared." —Rachel Talalay, director, Sherlock and Doctor Who

"Darkly funny . . . but with an awesomely terrifying arc. Kept me reading way later than I wanted to." —Meredith Hambrock author Other People's Secrets

Great narrative.

I particularly like having the behind the scenes view of the comic world. Fun ride with great Canadian references

Gripping!!!

The characters really come alive. Brent does an outstanding job. Like the man says, the specifics really sell it. You can tell there are elements of life experience woven into a terrifyingly terrific tale.

Fun mystery/thriller

Fun story with lots of dark humor. Hobie has a lot of layers and enjoyed him a lot

HUGE

HUGE is a phenomenal thriller written by Canadian comic Brent Butt. Brent even narrates the book and nailed the narration. Being that it's written by a comedian, it has lots of funny lines. But it's also somewhat dark and psychological. The book caught my attention from the first sentence and kept it until the book ended. The books writing was flawless and perfect. The flow of the book is excellent!

Fekking good story

I liked Dale & Rynn, they were both people I would like to meet and would enjoy watching on the stage. Hobie, on the other hand, I would like to avoid meeting at all costs. I enjoyed listening to Brent’s narration. It definitely hit all the advertised highlights of a dark, humorous thriller. Congratulations Brent!