The Other Shulman - by Alan Zweibel (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Shulman, a chubby, middle-aged stationery-store owner from New Jersey, has always claimed that he's been gaining and losing the same thirty-five pounds since junior high-and that if you added all of that discarded weight together, he had lost an entire person. Another Shulman. A Shulman he never really cared for. A Shulman he'd always tried to lose by dieting and exercising. A Shulman he'd cover by wearing extra-large shirts in an attempt to hide his existence.

This has been just a joke until, at a crossroads marked by overwhelming marital and business stress, he actually encounters this Other Shulman-an incredibly successful man who's made life and career choices that Shulman has spurned.

At first, the Other Shulman is but a mere nuisance, a source of frustration brought about by mistaken identity. But as time goes by, his actions become increasingly destructive and threaten to sabotage all aspects of Shulman's existence.

The struggle between the two Shulmans comes to a head while Shulman is running in the New York City Marathon. And it is during the course of this race, as he runs through the old neighborhoods where his life took shape, that this ordinarily passive family man examines all the choices he's made and realizes that in order for him to get his life back on track he must confront and overcome his haunting demons as presented in the form of this angry doppelgänger, this Other Shulman.

In 26.2 chapters, one for each mile of the marathon, The Other Shulman is a hilarious and affecting tale of identity and aspiration from one of America's best-known comic writers.

Review Quotes

Advance praise for The Other Shulman

"This is an amazing comic novel that is every bit as novel as it is comic, and that's saying something. After reading this hilarious, insightful, and poignant book, I have quit my job, started training for a marathon, and am considering opening a stationery store in or around Fort Lee, New Jersey-just like Shulman."
-Larry David

"The Other Shulman is hilarious. It is also emotional and powerful. As Shulman runs the marathon, you realize it's also the marathon of our lives. A wonderfully inventive novel."
-Billy Crystal

"Alan Zweibel is a very funny guy. And he has written a very funny book. If this does not make you want to buy it immediately, perhaps you should sit down and take a long, hard look at what your problem really is."
-Merrill Markoe

About the Author

An original Saturday Night Live writer, Alan Zweibel has won numerous Emmy and Writers Guild awards for his work in television, which also includes It's Garry Shandling's Show (which he co-created and produced), PBS's Great Performances, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. His many critically acclaimed theater credits include Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner, A Sort of Romantic Comedy, which he adapted from his own book, as well as collaborating with Billy Crystal on his one-man 700 Sundays. He recently published a children's book titled Our Tree Named Steve, and his fiction has appeared in such diverse publications as Esquire, The Atlantic Monthly, and Mad magazine.
Alan and his wife, Robin, live in Los Angeles and New Jersey and have three children, Adam, Lindsay, and Sari.