The surly hero of Jeff Parker's Ovenman is a tattooed punk rocker with the improbable name of When Thinfinger, whose life consists of working in restaurants, driving his hairdresser girlfriend crazy, and fronting a hardcore band that lets him onstage on the condition that he only sing the group's name, "Wormdevil." His passions in life are limited to cruising on a motorized skateboard and drinking until he blacks out. The latter happens nearly every night, so When has taken to plastering himself with Post-its just before the lights go out, in order to let his hung-over future self know what went down. These cryptic missives are the curious and ingenious gimmick that drives this highly original debut.

After being fired from his job as a cook at the local BBQ pit, When stumbles into the hippest pizza joint in town. Shockingly, the perpetual deadbeat soon becomes a manager — a leader of sorts to a truly motley crew of rockers, hippies, and burnouts. He quickly cottons to the privileges and responsibilities of his newfound station: give away as much pizza and beer as possible, while instilling a healthy respect for a well-mopped floor.

This satisfying existence hits a serious speed bump one morning, when he wakes up with a pizza box stuffed with cash from the restaurant safe, no Post-its, and no idea what's happened. While the plot is certifiably hilarious, it's really When's voice that's in the driver's seat. Dazed, confused, and occasionally caring, he carries all 250 pages of this terrifically entertaining novel.

As a tale told by a charming loser, Ovenman is in the mold of 2005's Home Land — and sure enough, there's a foreword by Sam Lipsyte. Parker's writing might also draw comparison to the sharp pen of George Saunders, who was Parker's professor at Syracuse. It's clear that this rising talent has found his peers.

-Toby Warner