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Funhouse Mirror
DimWitts: The Big Stupid is a genre-crossing novel with elements of fantasy, dystopian, and satire as well. Did you start writing with this in mind, or did this happen organically as you were writing?
I wanted to write something funny in the speculative fiction category without committing entirely to one genre. Admittedly, a few subplots emerged organically along the way, but the core story and the character arc of the protagonist remained largely consistent with my original outline.
Some events in the book were chillingly similar to real-life events. Did you take any inspiration from real life when developing this book?
My inspiration came directly from the last American election. It occurred at the same time the Canadian Parliament was being prorogued, and the rest fell into place around it.
I found this novel to be a cutting piece of satire. What is one thing that you hope readers take away from your novel?
Fulfillment. Enlightenment. The best satire is a funhouse mirror; it exaggerates flaws to ridiculous proportions, allowing an audience to see what could happen if a bad idea is given too much credence. I hope to scratch that surface, at least a little, and maybe get some laughs along the way.
Will this novel be the start of a series, or are you working on a different story?
This is book one of three. I am currently working on the “dark middle child” of the series and hope to have it finished by the spring of 2026. Book three is stewing nicely on the back burner and will likely be in print shortly thereafter.
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Lancaster Dirk, the newly elected American president, is on a race to destroy his enemies and restore the glory of the republic. But to do it, he needs something extremely important. Something Canadian.
A dirty old smelter in a dirty old B.C. mountain town — with an even dirtier old secret.
Balanced between worlds, the past and future collide in a tale that spans the globe — and the very edges of reality itself.
DimWitts: The Big Stupid
David J. Hamilton’s DimWitts is a biting, wild ride through a world that feels both satirical and uncomfortably real. It jumps between the collapsing life of David Enders, a leftist late-night comedian silenced by a newly authoritarian president, and the twisted family drama of Charlie Witt, a bitter man stuck in his brother’s strange, almost supernatural shadow. The novel paints a grim but oddly playful picture of politics, power, and small-town despair, blending sharp political commentary with intimate stories of resentment, failure, and strange gifts that alter the people around them. From the halls of the White House to a grocery store in rural British Columbia, the narrative builds a chaotic tapestry of media, corruption, and human frailty.
This book was both exhilarating and frustrating, in the best way. The writing has a manic energy to it, full of sharp edges and vivid scenes. Sometimes the prose cracked me up, other times it made me wince, and there were moments where I had to put the book down because it hit too close to home. The dialogue is alive with personality, though it occasionally veers into caricature. That said, the caricature works because the world it describes already feels absurd. I admired Hamilton’s ability to juggle satire and genuine tragedy without losing the thread. Though at times I felt almost overwhelmed by how much was packed into a single chapter, but it mirrors the mess of the world it’s trying to capture.
What really stayed with me was the mix of rage and humor that runs under everything. I found myself genuinely angry at the injustices described, but then laughing a page later at the ridiculousness of a character’s remark. I don’t think the book wants you to feel comfortable. It wants you off balance, amused, unsettled, and maybe even a little guilty about how much you enjoy the spectacle of disaster.
I’d recommend DimWitts to readers who like their fiction bold, political, and unafraid of being abrasive. If you enjoy sharp satire mixed with messy human drama, this is for you. Reading DimWitts felt a bit like if Kurt Vonnegut wrote a season of Succession after binge-watching The Daily Show. It’s darkly funny, biting, and just absurd enough to sting with truth.
Pages: 340 | ASIN : B0FM6D79GS
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