Neon Green

It's the summer of 1994 in suburban Chicago: Forrest Gump is still in theaters, teens are reeling from the recent death of Kurt Cobain, and you can enter a sweepstakes for a spaceship from Jupiter to land in your backyard. Welcome to Margaret Wappler's slightly altered alternative '90s. Everything's pretty much as you remember it, except for the aliens.

When a flying saucer lands in the Allens' backyard, patriarch and environmental activist Ernest is up in arms. According to the company facilitating the visits, the spacecraft are 100 percent non-toxic, and the green sludge the spaceship occasionally dumps in their yard is harmless.

As Ernest's panic increases so do his questions. While his family accepts and even begins to enjoy the giant flashing ship, Ernest's fears of exposure grow into paranoia.

When Cynthia's cancer diagnosis sends the family into a tailspin, everyone must confront the elusive true causes for tragedy. And while Ernest's rage over the flying saucer continues to mount, the spacecraft itself starts exhibiting signs of distress.

Set before the arrival of the Internet, Neon Green is a book about a family's relationship to the world, and what it means to be a part of it.

Margaret Wappler has written about the arts and pop culture for the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Elle, The Believer, The Village Voice, and several other publications. Her work has appeared inBlack Clock, Public Fiction, and the anthology Joyland Retro. Neon Green is her first novel. She lives in Los Angeles.