The Double Life Is Twice as Good: Essays and Fiction [Paperback]

Jonathan Ames (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 14, 2009

Wildly original novelist, essayist, and performance artist Jonathan Aames delivers his best collection yet—a hilarious, risquÉ, and loveable selection of articles, essays, and fiction, including several previously unpublished pieces.With an HBO pilot based on this collection’s centerpiece (“Bored to Death”), his two hilarious novels, The Extra Man and Wake Up, Sir!, in development as films (with screenplays by Mr. Ames), a critically acclaimed graphic novel, The Alcoholic, under his belt, and an ongoing series of literary and not-so-literary stunts, Jonathan Ames has proven himself to be a writer of diverse and stunning talents.

In The Double Life Is Twice as Good, fans will be treated to a deft and charming compilation of Ames’s journalism, personal essays, and short fiction. Featuring illuminating profiles of Marilyn Manson and Lenny Kravitz, his adventures at a goth festival in the Midwest, a story written for Esquire on a napkin, as well as a comic strip collaboration with graphic artist Nick Bertozzi, Ames’s unique style and personality-driven humor shines throughout this wickedly funny collection. Also included is the aforementioned short story, “Bored to Death,” a Raymond Chandler–esque tale about a struggling writer-turned-detective who becomes quickly embroiled in the search for a missing college co-ed. Described by The Portland Oregonian as “an edgier David Sedaris,” it’s no wonder that this comic mastermind’s already fervent and dedicated fanbase is continually growing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The double life of the writer—the doggedly functional outer persona surrounding the neurotic inner core—comes through in this sparkling if scattershot collection from New York's gonzo scribe. In his forays into lifestyle journalism, Ames (Wake Up, Sir) is perennially out of place whether among scary teens at a suburban gothic fest or vapid club hoppers in Manhattan's glitzy meatpacking district. He's ill at ease just being himself in memoiristic essays, from a European travelogue to an account of recent boxing stunts. His fictional alter egos are similarly out of their comfort zones; in the sly anti-noir Bored to Death, an Amesian writer poses as a PI and flounders when the lark becomes too real. As always, Ames's own bodily functions, baldness and angst take center stage—Am I darker than Marilyn Manson? he broods in a profile of the goth pied piper—along with his graphic sex scenes, which play out as detached procedurals in which he self-consciously monitors his partners for signs of orgasm This miscellany contains some weak items—college diary entries?—dredged out of a bottom drawer. But at his best, Ames still beguiles with his offbeat, defiantly hangdog sensibility. Photos. (July)
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Review

"Bizarrely disparate: The topics range from prostitution to goth to tennis, but in Ames's capable hands the disparity works." -- Penthouse

"This hilarious, often harrowing compendium of articles and essays find [Ames] immersed in demented endeavors...certain to make his many fans snicker and squirm." -- Booklist

"Filled with its share of Ames classics." -- Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; Original edition (July 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439102333
• ISBN-13: 978-1439102336
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #752,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan Ames is the author of the novels Wake Up, Sir!, The Extra Man, and I Pass Like Night; a graphic novel, The Alcoholic (with artwork by Dean Haspiel), and the essay collections I Love You More Than You Know, My Less Than Secret Life, and What's Not to Love? He is the winner of a Guggenheim Fellowship and is a former columnist for New York Press. Ames performs frequently as a storyteller and has been a recurring guest on David Letterman. He has fought in two amateur boxing matches as "The Herring Wonder," and he has peformed in a number of shows. Ames had the lead role in the IFC film "The Girl Under the Waves," was a porn-extra in the porn film "C-Men," and played himself in a pilot episode for the Showtime network. At the time, he said, "It's the role I've been waiting for!" He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An Uneven, Almost Superfluous Collection, February 22, 2010

By 

Jeff in DC (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Double Life Is Twice as Good: Essays and Fiction (Paperback)

I'll admit it -- I picked up The Double Life Is Twice as Good: Essays and Fiction by Jonathan Ames because it contains the short story "Bored to Death," which formed the basis of the HBO series of the same name. I hadn't previously read any of Ames work, though I enjoyed the series and wanted to see how it differed from the original source material.

"Bored to Death" has the same basic premise as the TV show -- a writer gets bored and posts an advertisement as an "unlicensed" private investigator on Craigslist. He then gets called to work on a case and gets much more than he bargained for. Except in the case of the short story, it takes a much darker turn than its HBO counterpart.

However, outside of the inclusion of "Bored to Death," the rest of the book is an uneven mix of what can loosely be described as journalism -- including features on a Goth music festival, Marilyn Manson, Lenny Kravitz and New York City's Meatpacking District, among others -- personal essays, short stories, introductions and forewords from other books and old journal entries. It feels like a lot of it was added to pad out a short book, and the length is still on the extremely short side even with the extra material.

As with other popular essayists, Ames writes in the same voice in all of his work -- even the fiction. The personal essays and journalism are entertaining and sometimes funny, but the journal entries from Ames' youth are not particularly engaging and seem overly self indulgent. I'm also puzzled over the inclusion of two forewords that Ames wrote -- one for a graphic novel he scripted, another for a friend's book. Taken out of their original context, they don't really offer much to the reader.

I'm guessing that the Double Life is Twice is Good may not be the best place to start if you're interested in Ames' writing. Although I found some of the stories mildly funny, Ames sexual neuroses and performance art friends (including a character who goes by the moniker "Mangina," or as Ames affectionately refers to him, "Mangie") got a bit tedious. I'm not particularly interested in middle aged adolescents -- and there's a lot of them in this book, including Ames himself.

Despite my personal biases, I think the overall scatter shot nature of this collection makes it difficult to recommend. There is some great writing in here, but there's also a lot of filler. It makes me wonder if this was published to cash in on Ames' television series, and since "Bored to Death" wasn't long enough to stand on its own, Ames and his editors had to dig out whatever they could to justify the price of the book.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basis for the HBO Series "Bored to Death", August 30, 2009

By 

Andrew Shaffer "Author, Blogger" (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Double Life Is Twice as Good: Essays and Fiction (Paperback)

Jonathan Ames's eighth book is another collection of essays and fiction. The centerpiece is "Bored to Death," a novella about an amateur detective (also named Jonathan Ames). It's an amusing piece of fiction that originally appeared in "McSweeney's"; it's also the basis for an HBO series, executive produced by Ames and starring Jason Schwartzman, that will debut this fall. "Bored to Death" is also the strongest entry in this book.

Compared to past collections, "The Double Life" isn't twice as good; it's somewhat below average for Ames. It won't bore you to death, by any means, but several of his journalism pieces wear out their welcome here. Do we really need a 27-page adventure into New York's meatpacking district? How long does Ames need to hang out with Lenny Kravitz and Marilyn Manson to draw interesting portraits of the rockers? His fiction is more successful, and much more fun, than his non-fiction: He often uses his own life and experience as a basis. "Book Tour Diary", a fictionalized book tour diary (what else?) is a work of genius.

The cover copy calls Ames "an edgier David Sedaris". A "weirder David Sedaris" might have been more appropriate. The level of self-deprecation can be off-putting at times. If you're new to Ames, you'll probably want to pick up one of his novels to see how the humor works for you. The Extra Man and Wake Up, Sir! are good places to start.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Double Life is...Half as Good, September 20, 2009

By 

Zirgaliam (Allentown, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Double Life Is Twice as Good: Essays and Fiction (Paperback)

Jonathan Ames is definitely an entertaining writer, and some of his stories really drew me in and kept me captivated. However the rest of the stories- about 40-50% of the book just felt like filler. I wish that the book had been edited down to a shorter read or that more exciting takes had been added to make it an overall strong read. I would recommend this book, but also suggest that you pass over the stories that seem to be dull.