What's Wrong With Dorfman? [Paperback]

John Blumenthal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 20, 2000

According to his doctors, Martin Dorfman, a cynical 40-year-old hypochondriac and burned-out screenwriter, is in perfect health, yet Dorfman is convinced he is dying, and thus embarks on a quest to discover exactly what is ailing him. Taken into the lunatic fringes of alternative medicine, Dorfman encounters his innermost demons, as well as the mysterious and beguiling Delilah Foster, a fellow hypochondriac whom Dorfman meets in a doctor's office after inadvertently spilling his urine sample on her. Hilarity ensues as Dorfman searches for the elusive source of his puzzling angst.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Martin Dorfman is in rough shape. His work is ignored by film producers, his agent doesn't return his calls and the symptoms of his mysterious new disease baffle both his doctor and his wife. He is, in short, a typical Hollywood screenwriter. This is familiar territory for novelist and screenwriter Blumenthal, who has mined his own evidently wretched experiences in L.A. several times before, in The Official Hollywood Handbook, a history of Hollywood High and two hardboiled mysteries. Here, however, Blumenthal attempts something more ambitious. In his frequently hilarious and unexpectedly touching novel, Hollywood takes a backseat to the emotional travails of the perpetually anguished protagonist. Dorfman can't figure out what's wrong with him, but it's not for lack of trying. He visits several physicians, an herbalist and even a New Age practitioner called a "chiropractic allergist." Finally he caves in to his wife's demands and agrees to see a psychiatrist, who extracts from Dorfman's comically warped upbringing the root of all his current neuroses. Blumenthal succeeds here at something very difficult: he creates smart, funny characters who actually sound smart and funny. ("How's the world treating you, Martin?" Dorfman's doctor asks at one point. "Like a cat treats a catbox," replies Dorfman.) But Blumenthal's real feat is the sneaky, unexpected way he adds depth to Dorfman's hypochondriacal plight, distracting the reader with one-liners until it suddenly becomes clear that this is, in fact, a very serious book. The humorous chapters detailing script negotiations and rewrites feel like recycled material, but otherwise the book is a poignant and finely crafted exploration of the legacies and burdens passed down from parents to children. Blumenthal's novel may come in under the radar of fans of more commonplace noirish, gossipy L.A. tales, but those who happen upon it will be pleasantly surprised, beginning with the witty use of a Rembrandt painting on the cover. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Hypochondria and self-love, mostly. Fortunately, young Martin Dorfman has a way with words and occasional moments of perception. His dysfunctional family also includes an overwhelming Teutonic physician father with more than a touch of obsessive-compulsive disorder, a mother who knuckles under to that father, and a sister, Phoebe, the only ordinary human among them, who believes she is not as smart as her brother. Martin, a writer, pictures himself rolling in wealth generated by produced movie scripts. His varied working career, which includes several months polishing whale teeth for a Nantucket scrimshaw carver, and many of his friends have prepared him for just such success, albeit not for the business aspects of it. Meanwhile, his friend, Delilah, suffers from unidentified medical problems, dresses in black, and adopts a pessimistic outlook; and his therapist, Nora, leads him to some self-understanding, without ever resorting to (justifiable) violence. Ultimately, Martin hits Hollywood paydirt. William Beatty
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Farmer Street Press (May 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967944406
• ISBN-13: 978-0967944401
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,243,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A former Playboy magazine editor and columnist, John Blumenthal is the author "The Official Hollywood Handbook", "The Tinseltown Murders", "The Case of the Hardboiled Dicks", "Hollywood High: The History of America's Most Famous Public School", "Love's Reckless Rash" (co-author) and the novels "What's Wrong with Dorfman?" and "Millard Fillmore, Mon Amour", both BookSense76 Picks. His work has appeared in such publications as "TV Guide", "Punch", "Playboy", "Oui", "Today's Health", "The Los Angeles Times", "The Christian Science Monitor", "Autograph Collector", and "Publishers Weekly".

He has also written for television and is the co-author of the movies "Blue Streak" and "Short Time". His blog posts appear regularly on Huffington Post.

A new novel,"Three and a Half Virgins" has just been published.

www.ThreeandaHalfVirgins.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for our times..., June 25, 2000

By 

Daniel Halevi Bloom ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What's Wrong With Dorfman? (Paperback)

"What's Wrong With Dorfman?" may just turn out to be L.A. writer John Blumenthal's "breakthrough" book, bringing him the national audience he really deserves. And the title of his novel, What's Wrong With Dorfman?" (WWWD) may turn out to be the battle cry of the first decade of this new millennium, bringing to mind other questions such as "What's wrong with America?" and "What's wrong with everyone?" Martin Dorfman may go down in literary history as John Blumenthal's liveliest creation. What's wrong with Martin Dorfman? Plenty. The book is great! The novel is a thoughtful, hilarious read, from beginning to end. If any US satirist deserves to be "discovered" at this point in time, it's Blumenthal, a veteran Hollywood screenwriter who knows the ins and outs of Tinseltown, and has honed his craft in the belly of the beast. The book is a witty, LOL study of Americana, and brings to mind the works of Nathaniel West. If you are looking for a summer pick-me-up, Blumenthal's latest book is perfect for the beach, the airplane or your air-conditioned living room.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh -- it is the best medicine!, November 11, 2000

By 

Victoria Tarrani "writer, editor, artist, des... (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: What's Wrong With Dorfman? (Paperback)

Martin Dorfman is sick and no one knows what is wrong. John Blumenthal turns this story of illness into a very human and funny look at life. Dorfman is the son of a physician, and he knows all about illnesses. He spends thousands of dollars on tests, owns a personal medical library, but won't to talk to his father about his health.

Through flashbacks we learn the family history. Blumenthal masterfully maintains the shifting timelines throughout his story and easily avoids the confusion of when, where and who is speaking. During the lively, distinct conversations I never wondered "Who is talking?" He avoided the overuse of "he said/ she said" by clearly defining people by their words -- I felt as if I were listening to conversations rather than reading them in a book.

The story is also about the difficulties in Dorfman's screen writing career, and what it takes to turn a script into a movie. In the end, Dorfman's writing career is back on-track and he has found an answer for his health.

I recommend this book with five stars or 10/10 points; it brought me laughter even through my own difficult personal trials.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Be true to yourself., October 17, 2001

By 

jeffie-123 "jeffie-123" (Garden Grove, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What's Wrong With Dorfman? (Paperback)

This was an interesting book to run across when I was looking for something light to take me away from the constant War news and my own health issues.

The scare of Anthrax and other biological or chemical weapons threatening America, and our reactions, made this the perfect book to capture the essence of humanity.

Martin Dorfman knew he was sick, and went through a barrage of painful tests several times. Haven't you ever felt sick, and nobody could help you get enough energy back to even venture out of the house? Martin whines, but the last time I was in the hospital, I did too.

What I found most encouraging about the book is Martin:
1-- never gave up
2-- took responsibility for his health
3-- studied medical and drug interaction books for clues
4-- was ashamed of his lethargy
5-- faced the suicide question that happens in long term illness, and chose life.

What I found entertaining:
1-- Wry wit
2-- Same personal trials we all face
3-- Very few "he said, she cried, he yelled" -- they weren't needed because it was clear who was talking by the words and the manner they spoke.

There are some negative reviews on this book, and if I had only read a chapter I might be one of them. But as I began to know Martin I laughed with a perfect whiner's plight...