Chronicle Books, 329 pp, $29.95, hardcover.

In a world where grim pundits keep reminding us that fiction is dying, Craig Ferguson's Between the Bridge and the River refuses to play it safe. A daffy, sexually charged skewering of everything from moronic sitcoms to backwoods religion, this is the kind of politically incorrect first novel that scores a victory over the current tight-ass publishing climate by simply getting the green light. Ferguson takes full advantage of the opportunity by screeching down a literary road worn smooth by such obvious influences as Tom Robbins and John Irving. But if his style seems giddily familiar at times, it's easy to be forgiving. Maybe that's because his ultimate goal is so ambitious. Craig Ferguson (the very same fellow who played the dopey boss on Drew Carey) has made it his mission to explain the meaning of life.

Creating a persuasive narrative around what happens after we die is a tall order, especially for a guy whose main gig is hosting a late-night talk show. But then, Ferguson knows a thing or two about delivery. Hopping from Scotland to Alabama, he skillfully brings together several miserable lives along the way. The main characters include Fraser, a sexually disgraced TV evangelist, and his childhood friend George, who's unhappily married and dying of cancer. Thrown into the mix are two con-artist brothers, one of whom has the disposition of a less sunny Larry Flynt. By the time Fraser starts seeing the ghost of Carl Jung in his dreams, everyone's ripe for the kind of change that's nothing short of miraculous.

The power of the story lies in Ferguson's dazzling ability to shift between the sacred and the profane. One minute he's riffing on the sleazy nature of Hollywood agents; the next, he's ruminating about the afterlife. There are moments when he makes genuine enlightenment seem more amusing that it has any right to be. And if his characters can sometimes come across as mere vessels for his philosophical intentions, so be it. It's a small price to pay for a funny, bawdy novel that somehow leaves you feeling strangely serene.