Dinner with Buddha A Novel

"With six unconventionally religious novels to date, this brave, meditative author has carved a unique niche in American literature." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) If life is a journey—with detours, paths from which to choose, and myriad roadblocks to overcome—then Otto Ringling is most certainly on the journey of a lifetime. His first fifty or so years were pretty good. He felt he had it all, until one day he didn't. Seeking understanding, he calls on Volya Rinpoche, a wise man and spiritual leader. A man who accepts the world as it comes to him, a man without pride or vanity. But Rinpoche, as it turns out, is experiencing his own time of doubt. In hopes of finding answers to life's mysteries, the two embark on a journey through America, an amusing and enlightening road trip that becomes a lesson in love and gratitude. "Merullo offers keen insight into and intelligent assessments of modern American life, but it is his compassionate portrait of a grieving Otto in search of inner tranquility that is most affecting." — Booklist "Otto is such a full human, which is why we can empathize with his questions and immerse ourselves in his experiences.