The Bear Went Over the Mountain
William Kotzwinkle
 Arthur Bramhall is known by his colleagues to be a poorly performing teacher of English with little talent as a writer. But Bramhall isolates himself in a forest cabin and manages to write a great novel; he goes off to buy champagne in celebration. Whilst he is away, a bear digs up his manuscript. The bear travels to New York, where he is accepted as a talented author and desirable party guest, while Bramhall's increasing animal-like desperation leads to him being shunned by his former friends. In its use of humour and a character of very limited abilities&mdash;the bear&mdash;to comment on aspects of modern life, the book resembles stories like Forrest Gump and Being There. It also continues a trend well established in Kotzwinkle's work.