This little gem rattles along in the opposite direction to political correctness with a kind of malevolent glee. Grubby the Eighth Dwarf revels in bad taste, but shining amongst the excess is an exhilarating celebration of the triumph of the individual's need to live their own life their own way. They might be lying in the gutter, but they're looking at the stars. The vivid characters in this book aren't trying to change the world, they're just trying to survive in it. If there's a message it seems to be that one size does not fit all.