Metaphysics in the Midwest

Experiencing these weird, surreal, hilarious tales is a bit like stepping inside a Bob Dylan ballad. In ``The Phantom Limb,'' Dr. Allegro analyzes Mom's fecal sample to find out why she thinks her left arm is missing; in the title story, an Illinois philosophy instructor of Zen and good vibes, coached by Professor Feeling, his guru, lands a 10-year-old boy and a 36-year-old divorcee into the same bed, where they discuss Life. White's first collection was Heretical Songs. His latest batch of eccentric, improbable, rude and wickedly funny stories rings true. He creates odd characters who touch us unexpectedlya macho circus barker who falls in love with the frail hermaphrodite boy whom he exploits; a Sears clerk who becomes an exotic dancer; a humble toymaker who invents the Howdy Doody puppet; a tawdry but free-spirited jazz singer from Fargo, N.D.; an Italian poet who flees Mussolini only to land in a U.S. maximum-security prison, for reasons unclear. America's claustrophobic heartland is turned inside-out by a writer with a voice absolutely his own. Moody photographs that complement the text add a droll touch. (Dec.)