THE OTHER SHULMAN
Alan Zweibel
Villard
Fiction
ISBN: 1400062667

Shulman is stuck in a bit of a rut. He is not having a midlife crisis, exactly; it is just that he and his wife are drifting apart, his children are grown and gone, his business is not doing so well, and he can't seem to keep the pounds off. The way he figures it, he has been losing and gaining the same 30 pounds since his bar mitzvah --- enough for a whole other Shulman. To put some focus in his life and shed some weight, Shulman decides to train to run the New York City Marathon. Here, at the crossroads of his life, he must make decisions about who he wants to be and what he wants to do. It is also here that he meets the other Shulman (T. O. Shulman) in the flesh.

Alan Zweibel's latest, THE OTHER SHULMAN, is a hilarious and sweet look at middle age and one man's choice to fight against mediocrity and complacency. The 26 chapters in the book represent the 26 (.2) miles of the race, and Shulman, as he runs around the city from Staten Island to Central Park, thinks back to when the Other Shulman, the fantasy Shulman, thin and more successful, was just that --- a fantasy.

In training for the marathon, Shulman is forced to confront the realities of his life, and not just his sad physical shape. He meets Maria, a beautiful young woman who soon becomes his training partner. What does his attraction to Maria say about his marriage? His trainer, Coach Jeffrey, teaches Shulman about patience, persistence and to actually enjoy running, not just to see it as a means to an end. But will Shulman be able to call upon Coach Jeffrey's wisdom during the race? And, most importantly, will Shulman be victorious over his less than benevolent double, the Other Shulman?

His first encounter with the Other Shulman occurs as Shulman is running, lost in his own neurotic, wandering thoughts. Soon, he sees another runner barreling down on him; he looks almost like a mirror image. This Shulman is a bit thinner and decidedly more confident, and he tries to run Shulman off the track. From that point on there is a battle between the two Shulmans. The marathon becomes a symbol of Shulman's successes and failures and especially for the possibilities he can see taking shape in his future. Will Shulman run himself to exhaustion, or run to a life filled with happiness, success and contentment? Will he overcome years of doubt and become the man he always had hoped he would be? Will there be a happy ending for our Shulman?

Zweibel's novel is funny and charming. Shulman is a shlubby and likable everyman, and along with the marathon bystanders in each of the boroughs, we cheer for him to make it to the finish line in one proverbial piece. The humor comes naturally to Zweibel, and his one-liners and observations, which are hilarious and poignant, usually hit the mark. But character development is not the strong suit of this novel, and readers may be left wanting a bit more depth.

Still, a book about a middle-aged, chubby stationary storeowner in New Jersey who meets his doppelganger and has a secret alter-ego as well ("Glue") and who runs a marathon through the city that shaped his childhood, cannot be anything but recommendable. THE OTHER SHULMAN is a smart and witty summer read.

   --- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

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