The Afterlife Diet [Paperback]

Daniel Manus Pinkwater (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999

The first commercially published fat novel, (or Schmalzroman), this book sold out its first printing in three weeks, and was promptly abandoned by its original publisher. Was this fat-prejudice, or just another example of corporate shit-headedness?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The gonzo humor and imagination that popularize Pinkwater as both NPR commentator and children's author permeate every line of his hilarious third novel for adults. Echoing A Confederacy of Dunces in tone, iconoclasm and choice of subject matter (right down to the inclusion of fat men, hot dog vendors and Trailways buses), this is an out-there New York Jewish fantasy of dizzying proportions and convolutions. Hugely obese and a "lousy" editor,' Milton Cramer is murdered and finds himself in a Heaven that is a Catskills resort where everyone is "circumferentially challenged," God is a stand-up comic and there are no prunes. In flashbacks, Milton's nemesis turns out to have been Milo Levi-Nathan, former employee of Bird Wirld [sic], owned by his stepfather, Felix MacGregor. Milo subsequently becomes a counterman at Rubenstein's Orthodox Hot Dogs and sends proposals for novels (like Mamzers from Cassiopea [sic]) to Milton. Milton rejects them all, including one he has lost without reading. So when Felix anoints Milo as a son of his ancestral Blint (you have to be there) and orders him to fulfill his destiny, Milo murders Milton. Throughout, the spherical antagonists bounce up against one another and a riotous supporting cast, including a face-stuffing psychiatrist, a channeling literary thief, deli owners, publishing moguls, diet gurus and big women. You need a wacko sense of humor for this one, but those who qualify will read it a dozen times over and laugh out loud each time. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

NPR commentator and author Pinkwater writes for kids of all ages. Here he has concocted a satirical novel about--let's not mince words--fat people. When Milton Cramer, an enormous book editor at a schlocky sf publishing house, dies, he finds himself in a heaven that resembles, horror of horrors, a Catskill resort. Everyone is fat and sarcastic, and God has a terrible stand-up routine, but the food is "literally to die for." In the evenings, all the happy campers show up at the casino, where the prizes include oblivion and rebirth. Corny? You bet. But things are no less goofy on earth, where a psychotherapist, Dr. Plotkin, sees patients in a deli and hot dogs are considered powerful aphrodisiacs. Then there's Milo, frustrated author of Call Me Whale (Moby Dick from the whale's perspective), who is working on a series of progressively bizarre book proposals featuring rotund detectives and classy dames ("a knockout . . . and there's plenty of her"); an immense, intergalactic pharmacy; and aliens who look like trees. Like rich food, this novel will either bring you pleasure or give you dyspepsia. Donna Seaman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 247 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corp; 1 edition (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738804010
• ISBN-13: 978-0738804019
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,390,911 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Daniel Pinkwater lives with his wife, the illustrator and novelist Jill Pinkwater, and several dogs and cats in a very old farmhouse in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant, laugh-out-loud, total mess of a book., May 11, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Afterlife Diet (Hardcover)

Daniel Pinkwater's great wit and keen insight are
a little constrained in his one-minute NPR
commentaries, but that MAY be a good thing. In
The Afterlife Diet, they're completely unfettered,
with mixed results. Some parts of this book are
so funny I could barely keep reading. I have rarely
laughed so long or so loud with a book in my hands.
However, most of the funny parts worked as stand alone
sketches, about the length, say, of a typical
Pinkwater NPR commentary. The plot worked for a
while, but it simply could not contain the huge
wit of this very funny man. Once the grove of
beech trees from outer space entered from the
the wings, I knew the plot had gone into the
shredder and it was a free-for-all the rest of
the way. No matter. The copy I read was from
the library, but I want to own it just so I
can re-read the "book proposal" pieces and the
scenes in the deli-shrink's office. Even
watching the plot go totally off the rails is
a pleasure, because only a brilliant, funny
author could send it off the rails into that
particulary plot canyon, at that critical moment.
Not for everyone, but definitely for those who would
enjoy anarchic wit, pretty smart commentary on
being fat in America, sharp, funny insights on the
publishing biz, and a dash of Borscht Belt humor.
If you're a Pinkwater fan, you may not end up
with the novel of your dreams, but I don't see
how The Afterlife Diet could possibly disappoint.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three cheers for Pinkwater, December 22, 2000

By 

Kathryn C Wallace "Kathryn C Wallace" (Arvada, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Afterlife Diet (Paperback)

I snatched this book off the shelf after hearing about it on NPR. While others had complaints, I wasn't dissapointed at all. Pinkwater recognizes that the pressure to lose weight can come from anywhere, especially other fat people. The worst are always those who've lost weight and want to help the rest of us to be the wonderful thin people they are. He also shows us that beyond the social stigma and constant ridicule are real people living lives just like the thin people.

Ok, so the plot was, well, I don't remember it well enough to comment. However, the characters are still with me.

I was very upset when the first edition went out of print. I'm thrilled it's back.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Fat-Afterlife Book I've Read, October 29, 2002

By 

Paul D. Baxter (Mebane, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Afterlife Diet (Paperback)

I'm a big fan of originality, and this book didn't disappoint. while it seemed to make a lot out of a little, seemed a bit 'padded' (HA) at times, and contained perhaps the worst sci-fi short story I've ever read (One word: wereakeets), I nonetheless chuckled all the way through. Hardly great literature, but it achieved its intended effect. It made me laugh.