Miracles and Conundrums of the Secondary Planets

Fiction. Named one of Kirkus Reviews’ The Best Fiction Books of 2015. Appel presents a cast of characters worthy of his quirky title. Among them Red Ziggy, a restaurateur from a distant planet who opens Birmingham, Alabama’s only Latvian eatery, and Happy Gallows, a widower with granddaughter who advertises in the newspaper for ‘housekeeping and discourse.’ The topics are weighty–abortion, climate change, cancer–but the touch light enough to make you wonder whether you’re reading miracles and conundrums of this world or some other. An intriguing read.–George Harrar, author of Reunion at Red Paint Bay

A fine collection of memorable stories with a delicately surreal edge.–Kirkus, starred review