A Taste of Heaven

In an atmospheric, panoramic journey stretching from Louisiana's Cajun territory and Florida's alligator-ridden swamps to the subway tunnels of 1980s Tokyo, the obstinate misfit characters in these fourteen brilliantly crafted pieces are simultaneously redeemed-and one-upped-by the inspirational weirdness of the even stranger world around them. A nameless narrator who dresses up as a priest for a hobby descends into increasingly alarming adventures when he encounters an over-willing parishioner; a sufferer of an unspecified condition believes he is severely allergic to something in his apartment (probably himself); residents of a trailer park gradually become enmeshed in rival not-so-secret societies; and someone loses a foot. In its mysterious, technically perfect creations, A Taste of Heaven reveals a gloriously organic world that bursts with wonder.