Behind Everyman: A Novel for Guys and the Women Who Rescue Them [Paperback]

David Israel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 2005

CONSIDER THIS: EITHER YOU ARE EVERYMAN OR YOU KNOW SOMEONE JUST LIKE HIM. . . .

Everyman wants what every man wants, at least what most single guys approaching thirty want: a satisfying career, direction, and love. When he meets Sonja over the Internet and starts writing a screenplay based on their budding relationship, Everyman thinks his days at his dreary office are numbered at last. And once he actually gets the girl, he’s sure he’s been saved. But as his therapist points out, he still has some issues to deal with. He has to make a crucial decision that will alter not only the course of his romance but his life.

This is a stylistically smart, sharp novel from the heart. You can’t help falling in love with Everyman. This is the guy the girls in all those chicklit novels are looking for.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Big shticks often sink lightweight romantic comedies, but Israel manages to keep this (relatively) high-concept lad-lit debut afloat with wry humor, earnest romance and endearingly dopey self-doubt. The shtick is the second-person narration, which can seem contrived and a little bossy at first ("Put on a nice pair of jeans and a white shirt. Vacillate between tucking it in and wearing it out") but is capably handled. The unnamed narrator behind all the "you"s is the Everyman of the title, a menschy unnamed guy in his early 30s who's funding his budding screenwriting career with a job as an administrative assistant in New York City. His life gets a major boost when he meets Sonja (online, of course). Despite the fact that she's from "please god nooo LongIsland," and is inconveniently afflicted by chronic fatigue syndrome, the narrator falls for her. He's particularly smitten by her wacky stand-up brand of humor, which he shares—and mines for material. But then Sonja drops a bombshell, and he must decide whether to let her go or give up some of his long-cherished dreams. Readers may groan at the novel's many dorky jokes, but the lovably annoying narrator will come as a relief to those turned off by some of his snarky, misogynistic counterparts.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“A funny and surprisingly touching first novel. David Israel has mastered the art of the male confessional, with wit and heart to spare.”
–SARAH DUNN, author of The Big Love and The Official Slacker Handbook

“[Behind Everyman is a] breezy comic guide to dating, with a touching love story nestled inside. . . . Israel’s first novel really can be enjoyed by both genders. . . . Israel is a budding comic talent. Think of this as a tasty appetizer, just the thing for that long flight.”
–Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345476603
• ISBN-13: 978-0345476609
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,614,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to Read This Book, May 9, 2006

By 

Richard L. Goldfarb (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behind Everyman: A Novel for Guys and the Women Who Rescue Them (Paperback)

You will pick up this book at a library book sale where trade paperbacks are two for seventy-five cents. You will stick it in your bag on your way to a meeting in Oregon and start it when you finish the book your brought along. You will discover that it is written in an unusual case, and wonder if it is right to call it second person imperative. You will laugh out loud for the first time on about page seven, even though you are alone in your hotel room.

You will enjoy the unusual way it is written and feel tension after the first chapter as to whether it is going to switch over to conventional narrative. You will be relieved to know it is not. You will start to wonder about the unnamed protagonist, and wonder if he is going to be likable enough to sustain the novel. Then you will see him as Sonja, the girl he meets through an unusual internat connection, begins to fall in love with him and you will realize there is more to him than you thought.

You will learn that Sonja suffers from Epstein-Barr Syndrome and you will try to remember what it is. You will remember that Janice Soprano claimed to suffer from it and that it made her tired all the time. You will like Sonja a lot more than you like Janice. You will fall in love with her along with the protagonist.

You will not like the ending he gives to his screenplay.

You will start to worry about Sonja's unexplained absences and her distance after the protagonist's trip to LA to sell his screenplay. You will be fooled when Sonja answers the question of whether she is seeing someone on the sly. You will laugh when you discover what she really meant and also saddened at what it does to their relationship. You will have been thinking of Woody Allen's line about relationships and sharks and will laugh when it is used in the book. You will also nod sagely at how apt it feels.

You will find the ending extremely moving. You will not think about snowflakes the same way ever again. You will be humming Sympathy for the Devil. You will await the author's next book eagerly.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars READS LIKE A BREEZE!, March 4, 2005

By 

Maureen guillermin "Maureen Connell (author M... (CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behind Everyman: A Novel for Guys and the Women Who Rescue Them (Paperback)

David Israel's smashing novel is packed with rye humor and totally convincing characters. Written in the second person--no mean feat that--we follow a young, unnamed New York guy's
adventures--'Everyman'if you like -- as he screws up a great deal of the time with his dating and choice of careers.
The story is packed with rye humor, yet is often poignant, and you can't help routing for Israel's unnamed protagonist as the guy anxiously attempts, through this stylistically fast-paced novel, to sort his head out from his heart. He's a love.
One of the many pleasures in David Israel's novel is his ability to economically and completely capture his characters on the page. Particularly, Sonja with her dry, outrageous sense of humor. She's a love, too!
EVERYMAN IS A GREAT READ. BUY THE NOVEL!
Maureen Connell(author of MARY LACEY and
Writers' Extension instructor at UCLA)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I really like this guy..., June 13, 2005

By 

Marcy (Fairfield, CT, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behind Everyman: A Novel for Guys and the Women Who Rescue Them (Paperback)

I just finished reading this book last night. The first thing I have to say is that I am sorry it is over. I wanted to keep reading, but once I read through all the acknowledgements and even the blurb about the type I realized the only thing left was the back cover. I gave that one more read and then put the book down at last.

I really enjoyed the 2nd person point of view because it really made me feel like I was in this guy's head. Being a woman, I'm not sure I have ever had that perspective before and it was extremely interesting. Mr. Everyman is an engaging character that immediately won my interest and sympathies. I rooted for him every step of the way and the story felt very honest. I'd love to be able to get into my husband's head in the same way.

The incredible attention to detail was my favorite part -- especially in describing his morning coffee routine and the elevator and all the office scenes. That level of detail reminded me of Nicholson Baker (without the bizarre sex).

I look forward to reading more of Mr. Israel's work. I hope he has a long career.