NNNNN

December 19, 2005
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.

January 15, 2006
Comedian, actor, and film director Reiner ("My Anecdotal Life: A Memoir"), cocreator (with Mel Brooks) of the 2000 Year Old Man comedy routine, is one of the funniest writers in America. Best known for television and movie scripts, Reiner also has six adult and two children's books to his credit. In "NNNNN", he tells the story of Nat Noland, a hack author writing his own version of Genesis in which Cain isn't a murderer, just a guy looking for a girlfriend. When Nat starts talking to himself, he goes to see a psychiatrist named Dr. Frucht. Then he runs into the beautiful empathologist Gertrude Trampleasure, which leads to some amazing discoveries about his own genesis. The novella reads like a television movie (with the F word and sex put back into it -wink, wink, nudge, nudge) that cuts straight to the punch lines. Essentially, it's a sitcom miniseries on paper, rated R for language and sexual allusions. Funny, but it could have been funnier -maybe Reiner should have enlisted Brooks's help on this one, too. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 10/15/05; this is Reiner's first novel in more than ten years. -Ed.]" -Ken St. Andre, Phoenix P.L."

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2006
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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)