Description
Fiction. The eight stories in THE TOPLESS WIDOW OF HERKIMER STREET are smart, funny, and humane. In "Bioethics for Dunces," which takes its name from the title of a college course its main character Leonard teaches, Leonard suddenly finds that academic and abstract issues are all too real when his own daughter goes on life support. He and his wife disagree about what to do. A quote from this story speaks to the philosophical quandary that many of these stories explore: "The underlying problem was that Leonard's situation lacked a governing social convention." Many of Appel's stories feature characters grappling with moral, ethical, and philosophical situations that lack governing social conventions. His stories show how ethics—something that sounds like an academic abstraction—can be concrete, visceral, and immediate. With compassion, wit, humor, and intelligence, these stories explore the gray areas of our lives. Echoes of myth, fairy tale, and fable flavor them, underscoring the eternal nature of both the human condition and storytelling itself.
In a starred review Kirkus Reviews described Jacob Appel's THE TOPLESS WIDOW OF HERKIMER STREET as a collection of "well-constructed stories that sharply but compassionately observe people trying to make sense of life's disruptions" and that "come to...thoughtful, often wrenching conclusions."
"To read [Jacob Appel] is to be schooled in his unique and refreshing brand of literary mastery. Appel is at the top of his game in THE TOPLESS WIDOW OF HERKIMER STREET, his delightfully quirky, ever smart, funny, and moving new collection. In these eight keenly observed stories, Appel's endearing if flawed characters find themselves in the throes of tough choices where there are no easy answers. Circumstances may skew absurd...but Appel's humanity is real and unwavering, particularly in matters of the heart. Crackling with detail and bursting with irresistible tidbits ranging from medicine to bioethics to property law, Appel's stories seamlessly draw from his deep well of knowledge to deliver a result not only worthy of study, but that will make your belly ache with laughter."—Sara Lippmann
"No one gets off scot-free in these arresting Jacob Appel stories, which blaze with a relentless forward momentum. And, yet—as Appel's underlying concern is kindness and connection—these eclectic, flawed, and deeply funny characters seem somehow to always find a way to make their stand. We can't help but root for them."—Josh Rolnick
"Jacob Appel's wonderful stories crystallize the moments in life that make us doubt everything we thought was true about our loves, fears, and regrets."—Dallas Hudgens
"Appel is a master of the dilemma, and each of these stories hooks the reader with a stunner. But the seemingly absurd—a mail-order house delivered to the wrong address, an uncle promising to show his two nephews the true edge of the world—soon gives way to dark, harsh truths for Appel's characters. None of the answers are easy, and that makes these stories a rich, satisfying read."—Ben Stroud
"There is no one in American letters quite like Jacob Appel. His wise tales remind me of some of John Cheever's short stories, but only if those stories had been reimagined through the dreamy vision of Mark Helprin and then improved with a 21st Century sensibility. THE TOPLESS WIDOW OF HERKIMER STREET is by turns strange, familiar, funny, and philosophically engaged, and never for a moment disappointing."—Hugh Sheehy
"Appel really does it all. The sentences are gem-like, the wit is sly and charming, and the insights are deeply human."—Seth Fried
Author Bio
Jacob M. Appel is a physician, attorney, and bioethicist based in New York City. He is the author of seven collections of short fiction, five novels, and a collection of essays. His short stories have been published in more than two hundred journals and have been short-listed for the O. Henry Award, Best American Short Stories, Best American Mystery Stories, Best American Nonrequired Reading, and the Pushcart Prize anthology. His commentary on law, medicine, and ethics has appeared in the New York Times, New York Post, New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Detroit Free Press, and other major newspapers. He taught for years at Brown University and currently teaches at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Author City: NEW YORK, NY USA