The Loved One

In Waugh's satire of American life, Barlow, the English protagonist, is a young man who comes to Hollywood to stay with the screenwriter Francis Hinsley, his uncle. Shortly after Barlow's arrival, Hinsley is fired from his position and hangs himself. While making arrangements for the burial, Barlow falls in love with Aimee Thanatogenes, one of the embalmers at the funeral home. Barlow courts Aimee by sending her plagiarized poems about death, and he takes a job at a nearby pet cemetery in order to raise enough money to get married. However, Aimee's boss, Mr. Joyboy, is also in love with her and concocts a plan to get Barlow out of the way. One of the most outrageous black comedies ever written, "The Loved One" is probably the most biting of all Waugh's satirical works.