Hartwell, aka John Lee (The Flying Boy: Healing the Wounded Man
), has penned an odd yet humorous novella set in Alabama about a redneck slacker who is mysteriously visited by Pu Tai, a pajama-wearing fat man nicknamed Pooh who just may be the Buddha. Pooh's been sent to Earth to rehabilitate Bubba because “[h]e's more concerned with things than with people. His mind is closed.... He worries about what he's going to get and not what he can give.” With little education and exposure to outside cultures, Bubba doesn't quite understand what Pooh is philosophizing about or why he puts his forefinger to his thumb and closes his eyes for long periods of times. Bubba has never heard of meditation, but surmises it is analogous to fishing. With his persistent modal “Trust me,” Pooh easily convinces Bubba to go on a journey to a nearby town with a few strange stops along the way. Telling the story from Bubba's point of view, with his ungrammatical English and Southern speak, establishes a solid sense of character and place, and funny anecdotes woven throughout add charm. (Sept.)
