"The Violinist" is a very dark comedy about euthanasia, college romance, fortune-telling, imaginary acquaintances (as opposed to imaginary friends), and fatal peanut allergies. In tone it evokes Vonnegut, Palahniuk, at times Dostoevsky, as well as satirists like Stephen Colbert. Chelsea is a violinist in a college orchestra who plays at funerals as a side job, for roughly $100 a performance. With the aid of the devil on her shoulder (Darlene), she realizes that she can increase her income through slightly premature mercy killings at local nursing homes, acts she euphemistically refers to as "express shipping." The corpses and the money begin to pile up. Along the way Chelsea finds love or something similar with a legal investigator who may or may not realize her secret. She interacts with an absurd cast of characters, delighting in some, murdering others.