NNNNN: a Novel

Carl Reiner

Nat Noland is a fairly successful author of fiction novels. He is starting his fifth novel, temporarily named "NNNNN". It is starting as an irreverant retelling of the book of Genesis and the Garden of Eden. But he has a problem that appears to be getting worse. He talks to himself. It's not just a quiet give and take, but now is turning into a vocal, two-sided, name-calling, two voiced conversation. His wife, Glennie, finally convinces him to see a psychiatrist.

Nat visits the man, recommended by a friend of theirs. But Nat's voyage of discovery doesn't come from his visit with Dr. Frucht, but instead with the accidental meeting with Dr. Frucht's office neighbor, Dr. Trampleasure, an empathologist. She knew she had seen Nat somewhere before. When she finally remembers, Nat is shocked at the implications.

If I tell any more of the story line, I ruin the fun Carl Reiner has put in his novel NNNNN. Reiner is well known for his career in humor. This book follows in that legacy. It is cute and entertaining. It is outrageous by the end of the novel, yet believable. Great literature? No, this book isn't. But it isn't meant to be. Instead it is fun escapist reading, an enjoyable to spend a couple hours when you need a break from the stress of life.

Notice: Suggestive dialogue or situations