Poppa John

Poppa John by Larry Woiwode, 204 pages

Among the few people left who still call him Ned are his psychiatrist, whom he hasn't seen recently, since money became tight, and his agent, whom he hasn't heard from recently, resulting in money becoming tight.  Virtually everyone else, from the man on the street to his wife, knows him as Poppa John, the character he played for years on one of America's most popular soaps.  "Played" being the operative word - Poppa John, the character, grandfatherly dispenser of spiritual wisdom instantly recognizable to millions by his trademark wave, was killed off.  While the death of Poppa John was a ratings bonanza, it has proved to be a professional and personal disaster for the man who played him for so long and now must, somehow, remember how not to.  Most of the novel takes place over the course of a single day, a few days before Christmas, as the main character attempts to find a gift for his wife but spends most of his time stumbling between bars, tormented by ghosts of the past, present, and future.

Poppa John is a novel of internal struggle.  As such, it is not a very exciting book.  It is, however, very interesting.