Nine Kinds of Naked

Book excerpt: “Part quirky love story, part philosophical manifesto, and part metaphysical mystery . . . right at home with the works of Tom Robbins and Christopher Moore” (Sacramento Book Review). A prisoner spins a playing card into a somersault, stirring a whirlwind that becomes a tornado that takes the roof off a church in nearby Normal, Illinois. Elizabeth Wildhack is born in that church and someday she will meet that prisoner, a man named Diablo, on the streets of New Orleans—where a hurricane-like Great White Spot hovers off the coast. But how is it all interconnected? And what does it have to do with a time-traveling serf and a secret society whose motto is “Walk away”? This surreal novel exploring chaos theory comes from the acclaimed author of the cult favorites Just a Couple of Days and Love and Other Pranks. “As fanciful and inventive in its form . . . as it is in its observations. It fed tasty crackers to all the hungry parrots in my mental aviary.” —Tom Robbins “Linguistic gymnastics abound . . . Vigorito demonstrates once again that he’s a wild stylist . . . startlingly original . . . an entertaining anarchist.” —Chicago Sun-Times “A whimsical tale of time, space, coincidence, and cause and effect. The author displays most of the linguistic acrobatics and playful rumination that made his debut a cult classic . . . In the tradition of Douglas Adams and Tom Robbins.” —Kirkus Reviews