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Amazing Things Are Happening Here
"In his new short story collection, AMAZING THINGS ARE HAPPENING HERE, Jacob Appel renders our post 9/11 world through a variety of personalities, each narrating their unique and startling stories. Meet the shy high school student with a crush on a girl dying of leukemia, the mother whale who beaches to save her offspring, the search for the VA hospital's lunatic who goes missing and never returns, and more. We are in the hands of a patient, master artist who watches the world unfolding around him, sees its protagonists' inadvertent mistakes, and observes them endeavoring to reclaim their dignity. These stories lift us far above the realm of entertainment, and instead enrich and enliven the psyche's oceanic heights and depths."--Marilyn Krysl
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
154 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2019
About the author
Jacob M. Appel
36 books1,592 followers**Please note: A limited number of complimentary electronic copies of several of my books are available for review. Please email me directly if you are interested**
Jacob M. Appel's first novel, The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up, won the Dundee International Book Award in 2012. His short story collection, Scouting for the Reaper, won the 2012 Hudson Prize. He has published short fiction in more than two hundred literary journals including Agni, Conjunctions, Gettysburg Review, Southwest Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, and West Branch. His work has been short listed for the O. Henry Award (2001), Best American Short Stories (2007, 2008), Best American Essays (2011, 2012), and received "special mention" for the Pushcart Prize in 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2013.
Jacob holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Brown University, an M.A. and an M.Phil. from Columbia University, an M.S. in bioethics from the Alden March Bioethics Institute of Albany Medical College, an M.D. from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, an M.F.A. in creative writing from New York University, an M.F.A. in playwriting from Queens College, an M.P.H. from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He currently practices psychiatry in New York City.
Jacob M. Appel's first novel, The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up, won the Dundee International Book Award in 2012. His short story collection, Scouting for the Reaper, won the 2012 Hudson Prize. He has published short fiction in more than two hundred literary journals including Agni, Conjunctions, Gettysburg Review, Southwest Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, and West Branch. His work has been short listed for the O. Henry Award (2001), Best American Short Stories (2007, 2008), Best American Essays (2011, 2012), and received "special mention" for the Pushcart Prize in 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2013.
Jacob holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Brown University, an M.A. and an M.Phil. from Columbia University, an M.S. in bioethics from the Alden March Bioethics Institute of Albany Medical College, an M.D. from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, an M.F.A. in creative writing from New York University, an M.F.A. in playwriting from Queens College, an M.P.H. from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He currently practices psychiatry in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
February 15, 2019
Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.
Another grab bag of goodies from the pen of Jacob Appel. His short stories always provide food for thought, one way or another. This collection is a bit more somber than his usual fare, but the quizzical quality is there, along with many points to ponder. My favorite was The Bigamist's Accomplice. Set in a nursing home, it is both touching and sad.
Another grab bag of goodies from the pen of Jacob Appel. His short stories always provide food for thought, one way or another. This collection is a bit more somber than his usual fare, but the quizzical quality is there, along with many points to ponder. My favorite was The Bigamist's Accomplice. Set in a nursing home, it is both touching and sad.
January 16, 2021
3★
“Every detail I learned of her life rendered her that much less approachable: her mother’s crown as Miss Norway and former career as the highest-paid fashion model in Europe, her father’s self-made fortune in oilrig accessories and his close friendship with Prince Philip of England.”
I have enjoyed many of this author’s stories in the past, and I started this book a long time ago but set it aside. I thought maybe I’d read too many in a row. Unfortunately, my original reaction hasn’t changed. I didn’t find these as much fun as the earlier stories.
Two completely different ones revolve around girls named Vanessa, although this is still my preview copy, so perhaps that was changed later. In the one referred to in the quote above, Canvassing, our young high schooler is lusting after Vanessa, a rather glamorous classmate.
“Although I can’t pinpoint precisely the origins of my interest in Vanessa—how her wild auburn mane and volatile idealism came to eclipse Danielle Pastarnack’s delicate innocence or Sally Sewell’s devil-may-care coquetry—my attraction quickly developed into a full-fledged infatuation.”
He finds her at his front door one day, canvassing for a US Presidential hopeful who needs enough signatures to get his name on the ballot. Is his father at home?
Would she like some help? Yes, she’d be happy to have help. YES! He can’t wait to ride around the neighbourhood in her
“flamingo-pink Chrysler Cordoba. The vehicle boasted a vinyl roof and power windows. Its owner wore white tights under a denim skirt and had a daisy pinned above her ear. A pair of his-and-hers clipboards rested on the passenger seat.”
But, the story opens with him saying “I was once—briefly—a suspect in a murder investigation.” He is speaking 20 years later, now married to her equally attractive, much younger sister, only a kid he didn't notice when he had a crush on Vanessa. So of course I read on.
He and Vanessa had continued pounding the pavements, although they had more than enough signatures. She just wanted to promote the candidate. He just wanted to hang around her. Needless to say, things disintegrated. I will leave it there.
Grappling is a story about a beefy guy who wrestles crocodiles, saved a lovely young girl from certain death, and she waits all her life for him to come back to marry her. He's a pig of a man, as it turns out.
I enjoyed the poignant The Bigamist’s Accomplice about two people whose partners are in the same dementia unit and have become attached to each other. It posed some interesting questions. When do you try to convince someone of the truth, and when do you let them believe what they want to and just go with the flow? Are you allowed to feel betrayed?
The title story, Amazing Things Are Happening Here is about a psychiatric hospital where a patient has gone missing, but a nurse is determined not to report it, because someone will be sacked. So he covers it up, convinces others to help, makes more and more complicated excuses for the man, leading to slapstick and mayhem that should be funnier than I found it. Maybe it's just me.
The author is a doctor, and I have no doubt he knows what he’s talking about with the psychological and medical issues. He’s also a good writer, don’t get me wrong, but for some reason, these stories just didn't grab me as much as some of his others.
Thanks to NetGalley and Black Lawrence Press for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted.
“Every detail I learned of her life rendered her that much less approachable: her mother’s crown as Miss Norway and former career as the highest-paid fashion model in Europe, her father’s self-made fortune in oilrig accessories and his close friendship with Prince Philip of England.”
I have enjoyed many of this author’s stories in the past, and I started this book a long time ago but set it aside. I thought maybe I’d read too many in a row. Unfortunately, my original reaction hasn’t changed. I didn’t find these as much fun as the earlier stories.
Two completely different ones revolve around girls named Vanessa, although this is still my preview copy, so perhaps that was changed later. In the one referred to in the quote above, Canvassing, our young high schooler is lusting after Vanessa, a rather glamorous classmate.
“Although I can’t pinpoint precisely the origins of my interest in Vanessa—how her wild auburn mane and volatile idealism came to eclipse Danielle Pastarnack’s delicate innocence or Sally Sewell’s devil-may-care coquetry—my attraction quickly developed into a full-fledged infatuation.”
He finds her at his front door one day, canvassing for a US Presidential hopeful who needs enough signatures to get his name on the ballot. Is his father at home?
Would she like some help? Yes, she’d be happy to have help. YES! He can’t wait to ride around the neighbourhood in her
“flamingo-pink Chrysler Cordoba. The vehicle boasted a vinyl roof and power windows. Its owner wore white tights under a denim skirt and had a daisy pinned above her ear. A pair of his-and-hers clipboards rested on the passenger seat.”
But, the story opens with him saying “I was once—briefly—a suspect in a murder investigation.” He is speaking 20 years later, now married to her equally attractive, much younger sister, only a kid he didn't notice when he had a crush on Vanessa. So of course I read on.
He and Vanessa had continued pounding the pavements, although they had more than enough signatures. She just wanted to promote the candidate. He just wanted to hang around her. Needless to say, things disintegrated. I will leave it there.
Grappling is a story about a beefy guy who wrestles crocodiles, saved a lovely young girl from certain death, and she waits all her life for him to come back to marry her. He's a pig of a man, as it turns out.
I enjoyed the poignant The Bigamist’s Accomplice about two people whose partners are in the same dementia unit and have become attached to each other. It posed some interesting questions. When do you try to convince someone of the truth, and when do you let them believe what they want to and just go with the flow? Are you allowed to feel betrayed?
The title story, Amazing Things Are Happening Here is about a psychiatric hospital where a patient has gone missing, but a nurse is determined not to report it, because someone will be sacked. So he covers it up, convinces others to help, makes more and more complicated excuses for the man, leading to slapstick and mayhem that should be funnier than I found it. Maybe it's just me.
The author is a doctor, and I have no doubt he knows what he’s talking about with the psychological and medical issues. He’s also a good writer, don’t get me wrong, but for some reason, these stories just didn't grab me as much as some of his others.
Thanks to NetGalley and Black Lawrence Press for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted.
April 16, 2019
This is now the eighth collection of stories by Jacob M. Appel that I've read, and I'm reduced to googling "synonyms for wonderful" to describe these marvelous, delightful, superb treasures. His characters are scientists and murderers, alligator wrestlers, broken-hearted lovers, and Average Joes just trying to get by in the world. The situations Appel places his characters in are amazingly varied . . . so much so that you wonder just how does he know so damned much about everything.
Aside from being terrific, swell, and neat, this collection also includes one of the best short stories I've ever read. In The Bigamist's Accomplice, we meet Arlene. After thirty-seven years of marriage, her husband, an institutionalized man suffering from dementia, wants to marry another woman, a fellow patient he's known for only a few weeks.
"I've decided to marry Connie," he says again. "Please don't let me forget."
"But you're already married to me," Arlene answers patiently.
In Arlene's peculiar limbo between marriage and widowhood, does she love her husband enough to stand by and watch him marry someone else?
Sublime, inspiring . . . I could go on, but I should save some of my synonyms for the next collection.
Aside from being terrific, swell, and neat, this collection also includes one of the best short stories I've ever read. In The Bigamist's Accomplice, we meet Arlene. After thirty-seven years of marriage, her husband, an institutionalized man suffering from dementia, wants to marry another woman, a fellow patient he's known for only a few weeks.
"I've decided to marry Connie," he says again. "Please don't let me forget."
"But you're already married to me," Arlene answers patiently.
In Arlene's peculiar limbo between marriage and widowhood, does she love her husband enough to stand by and watch him marry someone else?
Sublime, inspiring . . . I could go on, but I should save some of my synonyms for the next collection.
April 24, 2019
EXCERPT: (from the short story Live Shells)The decades are creased into Donald's face like the rings of a tree. He's grown a beard, put on weight, sprouted hair from the cusps of his ears. I approach unseen in the shade of a coconut palm and listen to his speculations on the recent cold snap and the prospects for the upstate orange crop while Grandmama nods and smiles and clicks her knitting needles together as though she's heard it all before. She was already an old woman when I married Donald and she can no longer tell the difference between strangers and long term acquaintances she's since forgotten, so she hedges her bets, treating even the water-meter man and the Jehovah's Witness proselytizers like kissing cousins. Donald is no exception. And me? I'm not sure how to proceed after twenty-one years, so I step into the afternoon sunlight, my jaw clenched to hold my composure, but at the very moment when Donald recognizes me, my eyes rivet to the double knot in the right sleeve of his shirt. I stare at the haunting spot where the limb should be, unable to avert my gaze, fully conscious that I'm behaving the perfect fool.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: "In his new short story collection, AMAZING THINGS ARE HAPPENING HERE, Jacob Appel renders our post 9/11 world through a variety of personalities, each narrating their unique and startling stories. Meet the shy high school student with a crush on a girl dying of leukemia, the mother whale who beaches to save her offspring, the search for the VA hospital's lunatic who goes missing and never returns, and more. We are in the hands of a patient, master artist who watches the world unfolding around him, sees its protagonists' inadvertent mistakes, and observes them endeavoring to reclaim their dignity. These stories lift us far above the realm of entertainment, and instead enrich and enliven the psyche's oceanic heights and depths."--Marilyn Krysl
MY THOUGHTS: What can I possibly say after Marilyn Krysl's succinct and spot on observation except that Appel is an author who never disappoints, and that I read this wonderful collection in one sitting.
Appel is a master of human observation, and he conveys these observations into quirky and entertaining short stories that reflect our dreams and ambitions, our failings and frailties.
My favorite story in this collection is The Bigamist's Accomplice, which I featured in my preview of this book on my webpage sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
THE AUTHOR: Jacob M. Appel's first novel, The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up, won the Dundee International Book Award in 2012. His short story collection, Scouting for the Reaper, won the 2012 Hudson Prize. He has published short fiction in more than two hundred literary journals including Agni, Conjunctions, Gettysburg Review, Southwest Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, and West Branch. His work has been short listed for the O. Henry Award (2001), Best American Short Stories (2007, 2008), Best American Essays (2011, 2012), and received "special mention" for the Pushcart Prize in 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2013.
Jacob holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Brown University, an M.A. and an M.Phil. from Columbia University, an M.S. in bioethics from the Alden March Bioethics Institute of Albany Medical College, an M.D. from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, an M.F.A. in creative writing from New York University, an M.F.A. in playwriting from Queens College, an M.P.H. from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He currently practices psychiatry in New York City.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Black Lawrence Press via Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC of Amazing Things Are Happening Here by Jacob M. Appel for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
ABOUT THIS BOOK: "In his new short story collection, AMAZING THINGS ARE HAPPENING HERE, Jacob Appel renders our post 9/11 world through a variety of personalities, each narrating their unique and startling stories. Meet the shy high school student with a crush on a girl dying of leukemia, the mother whale who beaches to save her offspring, the search for the VA hospital's lunatic who goes missing and never returns, and more. We are in the hands of a patient, master artist who watches the world unfolding around him, sees its protagonists' inadvertent mistakes, and observes them endeavoring to reclaim their dignity. These stories lift us far above the realm of entertainment, and instead enrich and enliven the psyche's oceanic heights and depths."--Marilyn Krysl
MY THOUGHTS: What can I possibly say after Marilyn Krysl's succinct and spot on observation except that Appel is an author who never disappoints, and that I read this wonderful collection in one sitting.
Appel is a master of human observation, and he conveys these observations into quirky and entertaining short stories that reflect our dreams and ambitions, our failings and frailties.
My favorite story in this collection is The Bigamist's Accomplice, which I featured in my preview of this book on my webpage sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
THE AUTHOR: Jacob M. Appel's first novel, The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up, won the Dundee International Book Award in 2012. His short story collection, Scouting for the Reaper, won the 2012 Hudson Prize. He has published short fiction in more than two hundred literary journals including Agni, Conjunctions, Gettysburg Review, Southwest Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, and West Branch. His work has been short listed for the O. Henry Award (2001), Best American Short Stories (2007, 2008), Best American Essays (2011, 2012), and received "special mention" for the Pushcart Prize in 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2013.
Jacob holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Brown University, an M.A. and an M.Phil. from Columbia University, an M.S. in bioethics from the Alden March Bioethics Institute of Albany Medical College, an M.D. from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, an M.F.A. in creative writing from New York University, an M.F.A. in playwriting from Queens College, an M.P.H. from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He currently practices psychiatry in New York City.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Black Lawrence Press via Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC of Amazing Things Are Happening Here by Jacob M. Appel for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
June 9, 2019
Amazing Things Are Happening Here was my introduction to the work of Jacob M. Appel. Having heard of this author but knowing little about him or his writing I thought this book of short stories might be a good place to start. What I didn't realise is that this guy is an absolute master at the short story having published in excess of 200 of them and he has a string of awards to his name. So it's little surprise that I immediately fell under his spell and flew through this book in the space of a day.
Sometimes, but not always, I can be left feeling ripped off at the end of a short story wanting just a bit more than the author has provided. Not so here. Naturally there were characters I felt attached to and would have enjoyed more time in their company, but not once did I have the sensation that the story was incomplete. I can't think of a single story I disliked although my absolute favourite was The Bigamist’s Accomplice. I don't want to share details of the plot because I hope you'll read it yourself. I was surprised to realise how moved I was by such a short story. The author cleverly made me stop and question myself about how I might respond if I ever found myself in this scenario. How would I feel versus how I think I should feel. His stories gave me at least one ahha moment, one story infused humor (at least I hope it was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek) there was hope and sadness, reminiscence and food for thought.
Amazing things are happening here may well have been my intro to his work but I can say with the utmost certainty it will not be the last. Thanks to Jacob M. Appel, Black Lawrence Press and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sometimes, but not always, I can be left feeling ripped off at the end of a short story wanting just a bit more than the author has provided. Not so here. Naturally there were characters I felt attached to and would have enjoyed more time in their company, but not once did I have the sensation that the story was incomplete. I can't think of a single story I disliked although my absolute favourite was The Bigamist’s Accomplice. I don't want to share details of the plot because I hope you'll read it yourself. I was surprised to realise how moved I was by such a short story. The author cleverly made me stop and question myself about how I might respond if I ever found myself in this scenario. How would I feel versus how I think I should feel. His stories gave me at least one ahha moment, one story infused humor (at least I hope it was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek) there was hope and sadness, reminiscence and food for thought.
Amazing things are happening here may well have been my intro to his work but I can say with the utmost certainty it will not be the last. Thanks to Jacob M. Appel, Black Lawrence Press and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 9, 2019
Well, Mr. Appel has done it again. Time after time he has shown himself to be a master of the modern American short story, and this collection is as good as it gets (maybe only exceeded by Miracles and Conundrums of the Secondary Planets. IMHO). The stories take place in Rhode Island or Florida and involve ordinary people dealing with their lives. My favorite story here concerns a high school boy, rather introspective and shy, who falls in love with a ravishing classmate who has leukemia and is being treated by his father. Another winner for me concerns a middle aged woman who is tempted by a handsome Spanish man as she drives him and his beautiful seven-year-old daughter on a boat where they encounter a mother whale and her offspring swimming perilously close to their own destruction.
There is a lot of inner conflict and duality throughout these stories, where people have a difficult time deciding which fork in the road they wish to take. It's as if a character makes a firm decision to do one thing while simultaneously regretting not having done the other. The stories are filled with intelligence, sagacity, and, most of all, deep compassion for our fellow human beings.
There is a lot of inner conflict and duality throughout these stories, where people have a difficult time deciding which fork in the road they wish to take. It's as if a character makes a firm decision to do one thing while simultaneously regretting not having done the other. The stories are filled with intelligence, sagacity, and, most of all, deep compassion for our fellow human beings.
February 10, 2019
Amazing things are happening here is the perfect title for this collection of amazing short stories. I gobbled them up like gumdrops, even missing my train station once! The characters we meet are complex, likable, and wear their feelings like scarlet letters. Feelings are laid out like tea cakes, readily on display, there for the taking, in this platter of ahort treats. Moving and full of pathos, these tales introduce us to a cast of characters that are tangibly familiar and three dimensional. There is an unspoken sadness in this world where life is examined through the lens of reality. Beautifully written and a worthy, quick read. Two big thumbs up!
February 12, 2019
True to form, Jacob Appel uses his unique wit and dark humor to capture the irony in a variety of situations. You won't know whether to laugh or scratch your head in wonderment at the end of most of these stories. They are perfectly enjoyable bite-sized pieces of humanity.
April 15, 2019
Brilliant!
Once reading one of the Appel novels/books an addiction occurs. That Jacob M Appel is such an extraordinarily fine writer, certainly among the top rung of serious authors in America at present, seems foremost in a resume of his achievements - this coming of course from an admitted devotee of his books such as THE BIOLOGY OF LUCK, SCOUTING FOR THE REAPER and PHONING HOME - until the extent of his life's work to date is surveyed. Thus the following from a previous review written in response to the mentioned novels:
Jacob M Appel is an American author, bioethicist (Bioethics, the study of typically controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine, is also moral discernment as it relates to medical policy, practice, and research. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy), physician, lawyer and social critic. He couples his fame for his short stories and his plays with his writing in the fields of reproductive ethics, organ donation, neuroethics and euthanasia. Appel is an advocate for the decriminalization of assisted suicide, raising the possibility that this might be made available to both the terminally ill and those with intractable, long-term mental illness. He has written in favor of abortion rights and fertility treatment for homosexuals, as well as against electronic medical records, which he sees as poorly secured against hacking. He has also argued in favor of the legalization of prostitution, polygamy and incest between consenting adults and bestiality when the animal is not forced or harmed. He has raised concerns regarding the possibility that employers will require their employees to use pharmaceuticals for cognitive enhancement and has urged that death row inmates be eligible to receive kidney transplants. He generated considerable controversy for endorsing the mandatory use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis as part of the in vitro fertilization process to prevent the implantation of embryos carrying severe genetic defects. Appel has also written in support of an "open border" immigration policy. Among the causes that Appel has embraced is opposition to the forcible feeding of hunger strikers, both in domestic prisons and at Guantanamo Bay. He has taught medical ethics at New York University, Columbia University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Brown University's Alpert Medical School.
In AMAZING THINGS ARE HAPPENING HERE Appel offers yet another aspect to his plethora of information to share - short stories that explore the response to that horrific 9/11 tragedy’s effect on our lives which presents incredibly interesting stories delivered by one of the finest writers of short stories before the public today. Jacob M Appel raises the bar on the quality of American literature and leaves us eager for the nest diversion. Highly Recommended.
Once reading one of the Appel novels/books an addiction occurs. That Jacob M Appel is such an extraordinarily fine writer, certainly among the top rung of serious authors in America at present, seems foremost in a resume of his achievements - this coming of course from an admitted devotee of his books such as THE BIOLOGY OF LUCK, SCOUTING FOR THE REAPER and PHONING HOME - until the extent of his life's work to date is surveyed. Thus the following from a previous review written in response to the mentioned novels:
Jacob M Appel is an American author, bioethicist (Bioethics, the study of typically controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine, is also moral discernment as it relates to medical policy, practice, and research. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy), physician, lawyer and social critic. He couples his fame for his short stories and his plays with his writing in the fields of reproductive ethics, organ donation, neuroethics and euthanasia. Appel is an advocate for the decriminalization of assisted suicide, raising the possibility that this might be made available to both the terminally ill and those with intractable, long-term mental illness. He has written in favor of abortion rights and fertility treatment for homosexuals, as well as against electronic medical records, which he sees as poorly secured against hacking. He has also argued in favor of the legalization of prostitution, polygamy and incest between consenting adults and bestiality when the animal is not forced or harmed. He has raised concerns regarding the possibility that employers will require their employees to use pharmaceuticals for cognitive enhancement and has urged that death row inmates be eligible to receive kidney transplants. He generated considerable controversy for endorsing the mandatory use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis as part of the in vitro fertilization process to prevent the implantation of embryos carrying severe genetic defects. Appel has also written in support of an "open border" immigration policy. Among the causes that Appel has embraced is opposition to the forcible feeding of hunger strikers, both in domestic prisons and at Guantanamo Bay. He has taught medical ethics at New York University, Columbia University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Brown University's Alpert Medical School.
In AMAZING THINGS ARE HAPPENING HERE Appel offers yet another aspect to his plethora of information to share - short stories that explore the response to that horrific 9/11 tragedy’s effect on our lives which presents incredibly interesting stories delivered by one of the finest writers of short stories before the public today. Jacob M Appel raises the bar on the quality of American literature and leaves us eager for the nest diversion. Highly Recommended.
February 10, 2019
Uncorrected Proof Gift from Author and Publisher
An eight short story collection only this writer can give you. It dives into people as they find themselves in less than ideal situations leaving you confound. Once again you will be captivated by his imagination.
No one write likes the author.
An eight short story collection only this writer can give you. It dives into people as they find themselves in less than ideal situations leaving you confound. Once again you will be captivated by his imagination.
No one write likes the author.
January 31, 2019
This book was sent to me as part of a giveaway on another website. This is an honest review.
This book was fantastic! I loved the different character plots. Each story left me wanting to know more about how it ended. I would definitely recommend this book!
Many thanks to the author!
This book was fantastic! I loved the different character plots. Each story left me wanting to know more about how it ended. I would definitely recommend this book!
Many thanks to the author!
November 14, 2019
Another incredible collection of short stories from the imaginative mind of Jacob Appel.
This group of eight stories seem quite conventional at the start, as if you’re petting your neighbor’s dog. You know this dog, he’s friendly, he doesn’t growl, doesn’t nip or bite; so you’re a bit surprised when your neighbor warns you to be careful. “What’s up?” I say. “I’m not sure, he’s just been acting weird lately; kind of nervous.” Your neighbor says. I immediately step back, wary now, on guard.
This is my mindset whenever I read any story written by Jacob Appel even though I know I’ll enjoy it. As I start to read, innocently as a second grader, I know there’s a twist coming up ahead somewhere. La, la, la, la; reading along, and there it is, last paragraph; bam!!! What, what did he say?!
He makes you think, long after the story is over. Cool, isn’t it? I think so. I’m not going to list all eight stories; but know there’re all good. Here’s two I enjoyed best:
‘The Bigamist’s Accomplice’: Arlene’s husband Benny, a former surgeon, is now in a nursing home and barely recognizes her. Benny does enjoy telling his old ER stories to fellow resident, Connie, who listens with rapt attention but hardly says a word. Jim, Connie’s husband, is just happy his wife looks so peaceful when she’s with Benny. The staff smile and joke that Benny and Connie are in love. Dementia or not, Arlene doesn’t think this is so amusing; especially when Benny tells her he’s getting married to Connie.
‘Dyads’: Penny drives the Harbor Authority’s boat across the harbor to deliver her passenger, Professor, Dr. Victor Navarre to a small island so he can study hooded seals, for a week. The Professor’s seven-year-old daughter, Patagonia, is with them for the ride to drop her father off, but will ride back with Penny, to meet her mom at the dock. She’s hoping to see seals but sounds almost disappointed when they see humpback whales instead. A mother and her calf, and their male escort. Both Penny and the Prof realize the whales are swimming inland and a rescue mission changes everyone’s plans.
In both stories’ choices have to be made for realistic endings to occur; but Jacob let’s us have a little fun first.
As always, I highly recommend these tasty morsels for your reading pleasure.
Thank you NetGalley, Black Lawrence Press, and Jacob Appel
This group of eight stories seem quite conventional at the start, as if you’re petting your neighbor’s dog. You know this dog, he’s friendly, he doesn’t growl, doesn’t nip or bite; so you’re a bit surprised when your neighbor warns you to be careful. “What’s up?” I say. “I’m not sure, he’s just been acting weird lately; kind of nervous.” Your neighbor says. I immediately step back, wary now, on guard.
This is my mindset whenever I read any story written by Jacob Appel even though I know I’ll enjoy it. As I start to read, innocently as a second grader, I know there’s a twist coming up ahead somewhere. La, la, la, la; reading along, and there it is, last paragraph; bam!!! What, what did he say?!
He makes you think, long after the story is over. Cool, isn’t it? I think so. I’m not going to list all eight stories; but know there’re all good. Here’s two I enjoyed best:
‘The Bigamist’s Accomplice’: Arlene’s husband Benny, a former surgeon, is now in a nursing home and barely recognizes her. Benny does enjoy telling his old ER stories to fellow resident, Connie, who listens with rapt attention but hardly says a word. Jim, Connie’s husband, is just happy his wife looks so peaceful when she’s with Benny. The staff smile and joke that Benny and Connie are in love. Dementia or not, Arlene doesn’t think this is so amusing; especially when Benny tells her he’s getting married to Connie.
‘Dyads’: Penny drives the Harbor Authority’s boat across the harbor to deliver her passenger, Professor, Dr. Victor Navarre to a small island so he can study hooded seals, for a week. The Professor’s seven-year-old daughter, Patagonia, is with them for the ride to drop her father off, but will ride back with Penny, to meet her mom at the dock. She’s hoping to see seals but sounds almost disappointed when they see humpback whales instead. A mother and her calf, and their male escort. Both Penny and the Prof realize the whales are swimming inland and a rescue mission changes everyone’s plans.
In both stories’ choices have to be made for realistic endings to occur; but Jacob let’s us have a little fun first.
As always, I highly recommend these tasty morsels for your reading pleasure.
Thank you NetGalley, Black Lawrence Press, and Jacob Appel
March 27, 2019
These eight stories all deal with a pivotal moment in the main character’s life. In most cases, that person is not aware that it even is a pivotal moment. It could just be some event that at the time seems unimportant, but hindsight will indicate that something of significance was happening. In Canvassing, a young man helps an attractive young girl get a presidential candidate on the ballot, with unexpected results. In Embers, a young boy becomes infatuated with his father’s teen-aged patient. In the Bigamist’s Accomplice, a wife witnesses her husband’s mental powers deteriorate due to dementia as his affection grows for another patient. In the title story, a health worker takes extraordinary measures to hide the whereabouts of a patient that has somehow disappeared from the grounds.
While all these stories are compelling, the author has a few sly tricks. His settings range from Florida to Rhode Island using places that may or may not intersect with the real location. He also casually drops in a name or person from a previous story, which a reader may wonder about. It’s as if Appel has a stock of actor ready characters to draw upon to feature when needed. I may have to go back and track some down. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the opportunity to read another great book from this author.
While all these stories are compelling, the author has a few sly tricks. His settings range from Florida to Rhode Island using places that may or may not intersect with the real location. He also casually drops in a name or person from a previous story, which a reader may wonder about. It’s as if Appel has a stock of actor ready characters to draw upon to feature when needed. I may have to go back and track some down. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the opportunity to read another great book from this author.
February 28, 2019
I received an advance copy of this book for free from the publisher.
Jacob M. Appel does not disappoint. His short stories are some of my favorite pieces of fiction to read and when a new collection comes out, I can't wait to dive in. This collection was no different.
The overall theme in most of his stories is longing, interpersonal relationships (sometimes romantic, sometimes not), and a certain 'what might have been'. Whether the tale is about saving whales "Dyads", a mother's oldest friend coming for a visit "Helen of Sparta", or my favorite of this collection a story about an alligator wrestler in the early 1900's that wins a competition, only to disappear and return years later to claim his ultimate prize "Grappling".
If you love character driven short stories, you will not be disappointed in this collection. Bravo! Jacob M. Appel, Bravo!
Jacob M. Appel does not disappoint. His short stories are some of my favorite pieces of fiction to read and when a new collection comes out, I can't wait to dive in. This collection was no different.
The overall theme in most of his stories is longing, interpersonal relationships (sometimes romantic, sometimes not), and a certain 'what might have been'. Whether the tale is about saving whales "Dyads", a mother's oldest friend coming for a visit "Helen of Sparta", or my favorite of this collection a story about an alligator wrestler in the early 1900's that wins a competition, only to disappear and return years later to claim his ultimate prize "Grappling".
If you love character driven short stories, you will not be disappointed in this collection. Bravo! Jacob M. Appel, Bravo!
March 7, 2021
Jacob Appel writes some delicious short stories!
February 3, 2019
This is an interesting collection of short stories (eight stories in all), each one thought provoking in its own way. Some of them seem like deceptively simple, straightforward narratives that provide nothing more than a moment of literary escape ... yet hours or possibly even days after reading them aspects of what I'd read came back to me. Made me think. I like that.
Rather than give a rundown on all eight stories in the collection I will simply touch on the two that I found to be the most compelling: The Bigamist's Accomplice and Live Shells.
The Bigamist's Accomplice is the poignant story of a wife dealing with her husband's dementia. After thirty-seven years together he barely recognizes her... And when he does it seems those memories are fleeting, he knows her more as a regular visitor at his nursing home than as the woman who's shared his life.
Live Shells is an introduction to May, "a thrice divorced woman of forty-eight", whose first ex-husband chooses to reenter her life - after a twenty-one year absence - on the occasion of her first date in months. A larger than life Hemingway-esque character full of blustering machismo he quickly wrecks havoc on everything around him.
The author does an excellent job of capturing the essence of his characters. Keeping each individual story unique and distinct from the other. It's a bit intense at times but well worth reading.
I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys literary fiction, particularly in short form.
***Thanks to NetGalley, Black Lawrence Press, and author Jacob M. Appel for providing me with a complimentary copy of Amazing Things Are Happening Here in exchange for an honest review.
Rather than give a rundown on all eight stories in the collection I will simply touch on the two that I found to be the most compelling: The Bigamist's Accomplice and Live Shells.
The Bigamist's Accomplice is the poignant story of a wife dealing with her husband's dementia. After thirty-seven years together he barely recognizes her... And when he does it seems those memories are fleeting, he knows her more as a regular visitor at his nursing home than as the woman who's shared his life.
Live Shells is an introduction to May, "a thrice divorced woman of forty-eight", whose first ex-husband chooses to reenter her life - after a twenty-one year absence - on the occasion of her first date in months. A larger than life Hemingway-esque character full of blustering machismo he quickly wrecks havoc on everything around him.
The author does an excellent job of capturing the essence of his characters. Keeping each individual story unique and distinct from the other. It's a bit intense at times but well worth reading.
I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys literary fiction, particularly in short form.
***Thanks to NetGalley, Black Lawrence Press, and author Jacob M. Appel for providing me with a complimentary copy of Amazing Things Are Happening Here in exchange for an honest review.
March 24, 2019
This is a collection of short stories.
1. Canvassing
2. Grappling
3. Embers
4. Helen of Sparta
5. The Bigamist's Accomplice
6. Amazing Things Are Happening Here
7. Dyads
8. Live Shells
Once again I loved all the stories for different reasons. Each one had me wanting more.
1. Canvassing
2. Grappling
3. Embers
4. Helen of Sparta
5. The Bigamist's Accomplice
6. Amazing Things Are Happening Here
7. Dyads
8. Live Shells
Once again I loved all the stories for different reasons. Each one had me wanting more.
June 2, 2019
I received an advance uncorrected proof of this collection, a gift from the publisher, and was thrilled! Jacob Appel has fast become my favorite contemporary short story author -- I would even say he is my equivalent of the current-day O. Henry. This was another great group of stories, drawing very well from his various fields of expertise -- law, medicine, etc. Highly recommended!!!
May 11, 2019
Amazing Things Are Happening Here by Jacob M. Appel
This is a collection of eight short stories, narrated from either the first or third person point of view. They are love stories, but love in ways we are not used to or would think about.
My favorite one --The Bigamist's Accomplice-- was the one about two patients suffering from severe dementia who fall in love at their nursing homes and their respective spouses conspire to make them a married couple.
Then there's Canvassing: two men fall in love for the same woman, Vanessa Bonchelle. One of them kills her, but we're not sure that the real killer went to jail for it.
In Grappling, a woman falls for a man who abuses her and refuses the affection of the one who truly loves her.
In Embers, a boy falls for a woman who's dying from leukemia.
In Helen of Sparta, a woman, Layney Beck, returns home looking for her theater teacher after a failing marriage--perhaps looking for a life lost.
In Amazing Things Are Happening Here, a nurse. Carlo, decides to cover up for a missing patient at a psychiatric facility.
In Dyads, Penny tries to help a botanist, Dr. Navarre, save a dyad of whales, and ends up wishing she was part of his family.
Finally, in Live Shells, May, while living with her autistic daughter, has to deal with his new boyfriend and his first ex-husband who returns home to die from metastasized lung cancer.
Mr. Appel's brilliance is to think of scenarios that we would never do. He presents the reader with ethical and moral questions that need to be answered and that's why he's so unique. Love his work!
This is a collection of eight short stories, narrated from either the first or third person point of view. They are love stories, but love in ways we are not used to or would think about.
My favorite one --The Bigamist's Accomplice-- was the one about two patients suffering from severe dementia who fall in love at their nursing homes and their respective spouses conspire to make them a married couple.
Then there's Canvassing: two men fall in love for the same woman, Vanessa Bonchelle. One of them kills her, but we're not sure that the real killer went to jail for it.
In Grappling, a woman falls for a man who abuses her and refuses the affection of the one who truly loves her.
In Embers, a boy falls for a woman who's dying from leukemia.
In Helen of Sparta, a woman, Layney Beck, returns home looking for her theater teacher after a failing marriage--perhaps looking for a life lost.
In Amazing Things Are Happening Here, a nurse. Carlo, decides to cover up for a missing patient at a psychiatric facility.
In Dyads, Penny tries to help a botanist, Dr. Navarre, save a dyad of whales, and ends up wishing she was part of his family.
Finally, in Live Shells, May, while living with her autistic daughter, has to deal with his new boyfriend and his first ex-husband who returns home to die from metastasized lung cancer.
Mr. Appel's brilliance is to think of scenarios that we would never do. He presents the reader with ethical and moral questions that need to be answered and that's why he's so unique. Love his work!
February 4, 2019
I forgot I was reading this book, while I was reading it. This series of short stories ranged from fine to slightly more than fine, but even just a single day after finishing the book, I can only recall minor details. Nothing was memorable, nothing stood out, and there did not even appear to be any sort of unifying theme linking these stories--it was just a set of decently written, perfectly fine stories thrown together, with little purpose or reason.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy for free, in exchange for my unbiased review.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy for free, in exchange for my unbiased review.
July 14, 2019
I love short stories, and Mr. Appel is a master of concise tales! I’m not often surprised at the conclusion of stories, but was more than once in this collection. Thank you for continuing to deliver interesting, eclectic, and surprising tales for us to enjoy! I look forward to my next adventure at your hands!
Currently Reading
January 31, 2019Uncorrected proof copy, Gift from Jacob Appel, Black Lawrence Press
pub date April, 2019
pub date April, 2019
November 10, 2025
I’m not entirely sure of what to say about this book. There were things that I thought were very well-done, and things that really irritated me. So, I’ll put it somewhere in the middle.
This is my first encounter with Appel’s works, and I was not familiar with his life beforehand. He certainly seems like an interesting person. These stories remind me a bit of Roald Dahl’s short stories.
At the outset, I think he needs a stronger editor. This book is riddled with run-on sentences that need better punctuation. I often found myself reading these long sentences twice to make sense of them. (And full stop: I am an attorney. I read extremely dense text most days.) his writing could be improved by dividing some of these thoughts into multiple sentences. Several of these sentences shift topics or thought midway through and then loop back around to the original topic. I found it distracting. (I will note that the kindle version also has the editor’s notes inadvertently left in. His editor seems very passive.)
But for the run-on sentences, the stories are punchy and easy to read. In general, I like oddball “slice of life” stories. I liked the first four stories more than the last four. Appel strikes me as a preternaturally observant person, and I think that gives him the ability to create rich and interesting characters in a relatively short amount of time.
Unfortunately, the other thing that really distracted me was that every female character is either depressed and insecure or horrifically treated (or both). A first I thought, well maybe he is making a commentary on systemic misogyny. But, as the stories went on, it began to feel more like he is just describing something he observed (our misogynistic culture) as interesting or for entertainment; there’s no criticism of this reality, and he seems to go out of his way to present these female characters as miserable, self-destructive, without agency.
Wanted to like this a bit more than I did. Creative and interesting, but needs a stronger editor and I found the pitiful treatment of female characters a bit exhausting.
This is my first encounter with Appel’s works, and I was not familiar with his life beforehand. He certainly seems like an interesting person. These stories remind me a bit of Roald Dahl’s short stories.
At the outset, I think he needs a stronger editor. This book is riddled with run-on sentences that need better punctuation. I often found myself reading these long sentences twice to make sense of them. (And full stop: I am an attorney. I read extremely dense text most days.) his writing could be improved by dividing some of these thoughts into multiple sentences. Several of these sentences shift topics or thought midway through and then loop back around to the original topic. I found it distracting. (I will note that the kindle version also has the editor’s notes inadvertently left in. His editor seems very passive.)
But for the run-on sentences, the stories are punchy and easy to read. In general, I like oddball “slice of life” stories. I liked the first four stories more than the last four. Appel strikes me as a preternaturally observant person, and I think that gives him the ability to create rich and interesting characters in a relatively short amount of time.
Unfortunately, the other thing that really distracted me was that every female character is either depressed and insecure or horrifically treated (or both). A first I thought, well maybe he is making a commentary on systemic misogyny. But, as the stories went on, it began to feel more like he is just describing something he observed (our misogynistic culture) as interesting or for entertainment; there’s no criticism of this reality, and he seems to go out of his way to present these female characters as miserable, self-destructive, without agency.
Wanted to like this a bit more than I did. Creative and interesting, but needs a stronger editor and I found the pitiful treatment of female characters a bit exhausting.
September 24, 2020
Lots of Sadness, Bad Choices, and Nursing Homes
This is a fine collection of accomplished short stories. The writing is sharp, if sometimes more restrained and rueful than usual. The stories are well paced, they're unpredictable, and they can be amusing, touching, and even suspenseful, (often at the same time). Appel has a great eye and a great touch and excels at the small observation and brief moment, although he can also build up a slow burn of dread or danger. That said, putting aside admiration for the author's skill, almost none of these stories engaged my interests or played to subjects in which I'm invested. That's not Appel's problem; that's the nature of short story collections. I really enjoyed Appel's collection "Coulrophobia & Fata Morgana", and especially admired and enjoyed his novel "The Biology of Luck". This collection, trending to the somber end of the scale, just wasn't the right box of chocolates for me.
(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
This is a fine collection of accomplished short stories. The writing is sharp, if sometimes more restrained and rueful than usual. The stories are well paced, they're unpredictable, and they can be amusing, touching, and even suspenseful, (often at the same time). Appel has a great eye and a great touch and excels at the small observation and brief moment, although he can also build up a slow burn of dread or danger. That said, putting aside admiration for the author's skill, almost none of these stories engaged my interests or played to subjects in which I'm invested. That's not Appel's problem; that's the nature of short story collections. I really enjoyed Appel's collection "Coulrophobia & Fata Morgana", and especially admired and enjoyed his novel "The Biology of Luck". This collection, trending to the somber end of the scale, just wasn't the right box of chocolates for me.
(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
October 17, 2019
Amazing Things Are Happening Here is a well crafted collection of eight short stories by Jacob M. Appel. Within these stories is a diverse group of characters with distinctive voices. Readers meet a judge who married the younger sister of a girl he once loved and who had been murdered, a woman whose husband with dementia wants to marry someone else and the young man who falls in love with the victim of an alligator rodeo. Each story is engrossing enough to be developed into a novel. The author has the remarkable ability to bring the characters vividly to life. Their fictional worlds become very real. The collection takes readers down a path towards different types of human nature. The narratives are punctuated with sharp observations, solid prose and depth. These stories are fiction at its best. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
October 23, 2022
I loved this book! I can see that the author's stories have gotten even better over the years between when I first read his books to this one (published in 2019).
A few years ago, Mr. Appel was kind enough to send me complimentary copies of a few books, in exchange for honest reviews. This one book ended up sitting on my shelf for quite some time (as I didn't want to finish all his books too quickly).
I spent time reading another author's books (Jane Gardam). But now I'm back to Mr. Appel's books; I just finished reading this one, & I also re-read "The Liar's Asylum," another excellent book of short stories.
I am looking forward to reading more of Mr. Appel's books, both his novels and short story books.
A few years ago, Mr. Appel was kind enough to send me complimentary copies of a few books, in exchange for honest reviews. This one book ended up sitting on my shelf for quite some time (as I didn't want to finish all his books too quickly).
I spent time reading another author's books (Jane Gardam). But now I'm back to Mr. Appel's books; I just finished reading this one, & I also re-read "The Liar's Asylum," another excellent book of short stories.
I am looking forward to reading more of Mr. Appel's books, both his novels and short story books.
June 21, 2019
I received this book in a LibraryThing giveaway direct from the author in exchange for a review. The collection of short stories set in Rhode Island and Florida stars a unique cast of characters with their flaws fully on display living out a variety of complex and often poor choices. From awkward first teen love to the pain of watching a spouse with dementia, from heroism to murder, unrequited feelings, jealousy, and the dangers of getting what you want, Appel touches on the full spectrum of the human experience, making it both hard to root for any particular protagonist or put the book down.
September 27, 2019
Jacob Appel is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors anywhere. I have had the pleasure now of reading a few collections of his short stories and he continually astounds me with his ability to convey human emotions and feelings in such a way that the characters and the stories hold fast with you long after you have finished reading them. He has the ability to create a world you are sucked into and aren't fully willing to leave, even in the short span of 15-20 pages. A brilliant craftsman with stunningly rich characters weaved into tapestries of what could easily be the life of your next door neighbor, I anxiously await any forthcoming work from this outstanding writer.
June 25, 2019
I started the first story and was reading with interest then it just stopped. Well, maybe that's a technique of the author to prompt the reader to think more deeply. But I couldn't find more. The second story benefits from a colorful setting and eccentric characters whose motives were so close to the surface that when the story ended, I was left thinking "Ok, and . . ?" After the third I gave up. These stories are well told, as far as they go. They're not experimental, not genre, rather plain but not for me.
June 26, 2019
This is an interesting collection of short stories (eight stories in all), each one thought provoking in its own way. Some of them seem like deceptively simple, straightforward narratives that provide nothing more than a moment of literary escape ..
Jacob M. Appel does not disappoint. His short stories are some of my favorite pieces of fiction to read and when a new collection comes out, I can't wait to dive in. This collection was no different.
I received this book in a giveaway direct from the author in exchange for a review.
Jacob M. Appel does not disappoint. His short stories are some of my favorite pieces of fiction to read and when a new collection comes out, I can't wait to dive in. This collection was no different.
I received this book in a giveaway direct from the author in exchange for a review.
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