Jacob Wherly, an aging Vietnam veteran, shocked out of his staid existence as an Illinois highway patrolman, begins to live his life as he sees fit outside the established norms of his rural community. This self-styled buffoon befriends a teenage boy who is steeped in religious fundamentalism. Each seeks to convert the other to his world view-young Lenny to lead Jacob toward acceptance of Jesus as his savior and Jacob to nudge Lenny through humor toward an awareness that the unexamined life is not worth living. This comedic novel's protagonist exemplifies what it means to be a baby boomer in...