Hunk City (2007)

Burma Van Buren of Tula Springs, La., the protagonist of James Wilcox's Hunk City, is the richest woman in her parish since her husband won the lottery, then kicked the bucket. Raised ''dirt poor, with a mama who had sprayed Lysol all over her copy of As I Lay Dying, it was so dirty...'' Burma still works at Redds Dollar Store. Her Republican accountant, crotchety attorney, and even the Superintendent of Streets, Parks, and Sewers all have ideas about how Burma should dispose of her new wealth. Wilcox's South is equal parts ridiculous, recognizable, and contemporary. In Hunk City, his one-of-a-kind satire is dead serious, but as light and fizzy as a champagne cocktail, a strange and delightful mix. A-