The Whirlpool of Lebanon

By Will Pass

There's something in the water in Lebanon, Kansas.

Zeb Stout is an eccentric rancher with a sick wife and a field of junkyard sculptures. As hope fades, a whirlpool appears in the pasture, offering a choice he never imagined.

Consequences ripple through Lebanon. Calves wander down Main Street. Rumors spread of impossible recoveries. Neighbors vanish. Soon the entire town is drawn to Stout Ranch, desperate to drink, to heal, to be young.

The Whirlpool of Lebanon is a surreal and darkly comic novel about love, longing, and the terrible beauty of second chances. This is what happens when a miracle arrives-and refuses to leave.

ADVANCE PRAISE

"A well-crafted comedy about the bad side of miracles."

- Kirkus Reviews ("Get It" selection)

"A weird, funny, and often suspenseful novel about aging and redemption."

- Foreword Reviews

"An exquisitely constructed novel with a large cast of believable, well-rounded characters you come to care about. Pass also captures the nuances of High Plains village life, which many have attempted but few have achieved."

- Bryan L. Jones, author of North of the Platte, South of the Niobrara

"Whirlpool is an intercession between the sublime and the sublunary, with characters as real as they are hilarious, as redeemable as they are tragic. Swift and stylish, this book is a bit like a glistening puddle you stomp on for joy then realize you're standing in the center of the sea."

- Joe Deany-Braun, curator of Perelandra Bookshop and author of Young Santa

"The story sucked me in with the same awe and mystery as the whirlpool spinning at its center. I loved every page."

- Becky Mandelbaum, author of Bad Kansas (Flannery O'Connor Award)

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GMLVN4DY
• ISBN13: 9798989180530
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Thiessen Press
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.0"