Who is Daren King? He is the author of Jim Giraffe. He is also on something that no one else is, possibly a strong variant of LSD, and if so it’s likely to be in copious amounts in liquid form. It would have to be to come up with a story so twisted it would be understating the reality of just calling it bonkers.

Scott Spectrum is a freak of geek proportions. The poor guy is the emobodiement of the fat comic shop bloke in The Simpsons. He talks in a certain geeky manner, he lives in his own world, he speaks his own lingo and he has issues with the opposite sex. The latter is that big of a deal, except he is married and therefore is a requirement, not just a duty. Except Scott can’t bring himself to have sex, and seems to be traumatised at the thought of making love to his wife.

You would expect he would meet up with a psychiatrist and get some help. But no. Scott isn’t that smart. Instead he seems to see a Giraffe in his cupboard. The giraffe in question is called Jim and he has appeared in order to help Scott sort out his life, and encourage him to give his wife a shag. But, underneath all this help, is a sinister plan that is being kept hidden from Scott.

I laughed my through this book, almost to the point of tears. Much of the geekdom I could relate to in some manner, and the fascination of a certain type of guy who seems more interested in what his electronics can do than what his wife is doing in bed.

The writing is as energetic as it is imaginative and vast. There are no limits to Daren’s writing and his exploration of where his characters will go

The story is so unreal, it’s a world of it’s own where a ghost giraffe is at first only seen by Scott, but by the end is seen by everyone. There seems to structure to the book in truth, and it almost feels as though it was written on the fly. Going from A to B then to F, down To C forward to G and round again. Jim becomes a TV star, an adulterer as well as a medical professional and his drooled over by girls.

Scott on the other hand is the complete opposite. Timid, quiet, obnoxious and not aware of the reality around him. It seems he’s bullied by practically everyone, which makes him an easy meal for Jim to take hodl of. As Jim starts to become more a part of the real world, Scott himself starts to become the equivalent of a ghost. People ignore him, just as they did Jim before, and his presence, or even his existence is practically erased.

Half way through the book I wondered if this was all in Scott’s head; if this communication with a ghost giraffe with a huge penis was simply a figment of his imagination. Scott isn’t that smart, and it’s pretty tragic that he doesn’t notice the clue. It’s like Mr Bean but with one extra brain cell that allows him to speak. But the moment you think you’ve figured out what’s going on, you’re hit slap bang in the head with more strange twists that throw any logic or reality out of the window. It wouldn’t shock you to read about aliens that masturbate through breathing, or a pig that likes to molest cabbages.

The writing is as energetic as it is imaginative and vast. There are no limits to Daren’s writing and his exploration of where his characters will go. There are elements of humanity in the tale, but it’s done in such a farcical manner that you can’t quite take it seriously. At times it reads like a really, really bad soap opera. In fact, it would be fair to say that it’s almost a parody of soap operas. The type where someone’s sleeping with someone’s friend’s sister’s brother who’s actually a convict married to a clown. Or something equally strange.

Scott Spectrum is a freak of geek proportions. The poor guy is the emobodiement of the fat comic shop bloke in The Simpsons

Scott and Jim could be described as alternative twins. The good, and the bad. Yin and Yang. Human and ghost giraffe. It’s a great chemistry, it’s funny, it’s a page turning wonder. You don’t know what’s coming next, but you just want it to be more eccentric, more bizarre.

I really enjoyed reading Jim Giraffe. For all the serious books I read, it’s really a nice break to take out something that will simply drown you in humour until your eyelids fill with liquid. A story about a man without a libido and a ghost giraffe with too much of it. What more can you ask for?

Verdict: A fun ghost story about a horny ghost giraffe, and a geek