Product Description

The hero of Carl Reiner's nutty and wonderful novel, Nat Noland, is hard at work on his fifth book, his own version of Genesis, concentrating on the relationship between Cain and Abel. While investigating their relationship, he starts to investigate his relationship with himself. His doting wife, Glennie, gets worried when she hears him having a loud, heated discussion while he's alone in the basement. Because he is unaware that he is talking to himself -- in two distinct voices -- she encourages him to seek the help of the famous Viennese psychiatrist Dr. Frucht.

After a few sessions, Dr. Frucht elicits descriptions of Nat's recurring childhood dreams and the fact that he never knew his biological parents. In the lobby, when Nat bumps into the lovely Dr. Gertrude Trampleasure, an empathologist, she tells him how much he resembles her old teenage sweetheart, Buddy Keebler: "You two could be twins!" With the assistance of a private eye, Nat embarks on a quest to search for this "twin" and his unknown past, while continuing to work on his biblical novel, NNNNN.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #761505 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-07
• Format: Deckle Edge
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The grand poobah of American comedy has authored the memoir My Anecdotal Life, several children's books and the autobiographical novels Enter Laughing (1958) and Continue Laughing (1996); here he checks in with a midlife crisis–fueled tale of a schlep's search for his origins. Nat Noland, a successful romance novelist, is hard at work on his latest book (of the same title as Reiner's), a spin on the Cain and Abel tale. When Nat's inner dialogue becomes a heated debate—between himself and, well, himself—his chipper wife, Glennie, signs him up with Dr. Frucht, a Viennese psychiatrist. Thus begins Nat's journey of self-discovery. Over the course of his cross-country travels, Nat, who was adopted, learns the incredible, lurid story of his birth parents—his dancer mother, Lena Lomax, and his father, Dr. Grimshade ("Calling that dung ball a dirty bastard is a compliment!... And so, shmucko, is calling that scumbag a dung ball!" Nat exclaims to himself). In New Orleans, Nat also finds his maternal grandfather, John Lomax. Slapstick cases of mistaken identity begin piling up, and tearful reunions ensue. Sloppy and speedy in a have-to-smile kind of way, this novel hits below-the-borscht belt. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Venerable comedic genius Reiner continues to amuse in a diverse variety of formats. For this novel within a novel, he tackles the age-old subjects of personal identity and sibling rivalry. As novelist Nat Noland struggles to eke out every page of his fictional retelling of Cain and Abel, he begins having a series of long conversations with himself. Overhearing her husband arguing with himself in different voices, Nat's wife, Glennie, subtly convinces him to see a therapist. During consultations with Dr. Frucht--frucht in German means fruit--Nat recalls a series of dreams about his childhood and adoption. Determined to resolve his questions about his murky past, he embarks upon a remarkable odyssey to discover the long-lost brother he may or may not actually have. This humorous romp through the psyche of an endearingly kooky author will find a ready-made audience in Reiner's legion of fans. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Carl Reiner has written a thoughtful, funny, and slightly alarming book. This book continues his tradition of making trouble where it needs to be made."

-- Steve Martin, author of Shopgirl

Customer Reviews

Hilarious and fun ;-)
This is a great book writen by one of the funniest entertainers around. Carl Reiner is a classic and his humour shines through here. The main character, Nat, is a successful novelist and is always talking to himself and having bizzare conversations with himself (calling himself a shmuck etc) whilst writing his latest book (so it's like a book within a book). I'm just on half way through this, but I've really really enjoyed every part so far and it's been totally entertaining and very hard to put down. This kind of book had to be writen by a great comedian and who better than Carl Reiner?

Couldn't put it down!
I'm so glad I found this. Great writing. Enjoyed this book very much. What a funny man Carl Reiner is! The names he came up with- hilarious!- and the TWIN thing- too much!
What a mind he has. I would like to read some more of his writing.

This is a quick read-you've been warned- I read twenty-two chapters in a couple of hours, with a few interruptions. It was the kind of book that "I couldn't put down". Finally I went to bed but couldn't sleep so I got back up and finished it. Started weird- didn't really care for his bible story- but I admire his thinking and coming up with it- interesting take- but the rest of it was good/better. Good story about Nat. Light, easy, fun reading. Good for a quick trip, for a plane ride.

NNNNN
Quick witted, quick read, funny and serious all at once. I enjoyed this novel very much