SOUL ENCHILADA
David Macinnis Gill
Greenwillow Books
Fantasy
ISBN: 9780061673016
368 pages

Life hasn’t always been easy for 18-year-old Eunice “Bug” Smoot. Her mother died in a kitchen fire when Bug was very young and helpless. Bug’s deadbeat father has never been present in her life. And Papa C, Bug’s grandfather, left her an orphan for the third time just last year. He also left her one of the only things he owned --- a 1958 Cadillac Biarritz. Now Bug barely scrapes by delivering pizzas and paying her rent on time.

It isn’t until Bug gets fired from her job, again, that matters take a turn for the worse. Mr. Beals, a repossession agent working for Lucifer, shows up in the front seat of the Cadillac during a routine car wash and claims ownership of the car according to a contract signed long ago by Papa C. Apparently Bug’s grandfather sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his dream car, and put Bug’s soul up as collateral. With the clock ticking, Bug turns to the last person she thought would help: her crush, Pesto. 

It turns out Pesto is more than an ordinary car-wash manager. He also works in the Waste and Disposal division of the ISIS, the International Supernatural Immigration Service. Pesto is responsible for tracking down illegal djinn, or demons, that enter the world and send them packing. By helping Bug, he hopes to be promoted --- and capture Bug’s heart. Pesto and Bug enlist the help of E. Figg, a lawyer specializing in legal matters of the soul, and arrange a friendly pizza delivery competition between the Devil and Bug. If Bug delivers the pizza first, she gets to keep her soul and the car. If not, then Bug must fulfill the obligations of the contract.

Making a deal with the Devil is never as easy as it seems. Mr. Beals backhandedly uses the competition to his advantage to finally escape servitude to his master. He sets out to rule the earthly plane and hatches a plan to overthrow the Devil and become the most powerful demon ever. Beelzebub’s plan for total domination includes plagues, utter destruction, and the collection of numerous souls --- especially Bug’s. With her immortality on the line, Bug must once again find a way to save her soul.

In his debut novel, David Macinnis Gill has created an offbeat protagonist who is both endearing and genuine. Bug is an everyday down-on-your-luck individual who refuses to give in to what is easy. Instead, she works hard for what she holds most dear, even when she thinks she doesn’t deserve it. Most people would give in to the Devil and become a soul enchilada --- a simple snack --- but Bug displays a level of decency in a most unsuspecting individual. Gill shows us that good and honest people still exist in all walks of life.

What would I sell my soul to the Devil for? I kept wondering about this question as I read the book. Would I give in for something as simple as a classic car, or would I wait for something bigger? Is there anything temporary that would be worth enough? These questions have been explored in literature throughout the centuries, and SOUL ENCHILADA provides an enjoyable and hilarious contemporary look at how the Devil still provides those little temptations that make us second-guess our motivations and desires.  

    --- Reviewed by Benjamin Boche (bennyboche@hotmail.com)

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