In a town named twice (due to its founder’s stutter or hiccups, depending on who you ask), Tim has an unusual dream: he wants to be an otter. But in Bottom Bottom, where the mayor taxes question marks and the local bartender serves drinks to match your existential crisis, perhaps that’s not so strange after all.

When Tim’s attempt to become the town mascot spirals into an accidental otter heist from the Happy Waves Aquarium & Zoo, he finds himself at the center of an underground resistance movement led by surprisingly eloquent otters who specialize in “grand theft shellfish.” Guided by the cryptic wisdom of Mr. Sushi (a Polish marine biologist running a Chinese restaurant), and haunted by the ghost of his experimental music career with the mayor’s daughter, Tim must navigate a world where corporate executives learn life lessons from marine mammals and the local bureaucracy requires permits for trans-mammalian initiatives.

“‘Otter Boy’ is a delightfully absurd tale that blends Vonnegut-esque social commentary with the whimsy of Douglas Adams, all while exploring what it means to find yourself in a universe as complicated as mismatched socks. Perfect for readers who love their existential crises served with a side of pierogi sushi and their philosophical revelations delivered by talking otters who prefer to keep their English-speaking abilities to themselves.” ~ Neb Jenkins