The Afterlife Diet

by Daniel Pinkwater

In a heaven reserved for the obese, Milton Green, a second-rate editor who died under mysterious circumstances, ponders his life, his romance with an equally obese woman, and the conditions of his demise

Genres: Fiction

259 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Daniel Manus Pinkwater is an author of mostly children's books and is an occasional commentator on National Public Radio. He attended Bard College. Well-known books include Lizard Music, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, Fat Men from Space, Borgel, and the picture book The Big Orange Splot. Pinkwater has also illustrated many of his books in the past, although for more recent works that task has passed to his wife Jill Pinkwater.

Reviews

[e smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I learned from this book: Well, sometimes the used book shop just does not have what you want, so you get a hankering for Daniel Pinkwater, and you buy some weird book with a hot dog on the cover....'cause really, how wrong can you go with a book with a flying hot dog on the cover. This book was dislocating. I didn't get the point. People were eating lots of food, and trying to diet, and then some people were in some kind of fat people heaven, and God kept having BINGO night. Also there were werewolves, and lots of yiddishey things. The book should be read along with this New York Times article about the 2nd Avenue Deli: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/mag...

I suppose though, I had never really meditated on fatness, and well, this book will make you think about fatness...which I guess is good. It's pretty fucking weird though.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very odd book, and I'm not sure that I got it. To my mind, there appeared to be entirely too much obsessing about fat people--which may, I supect, have been the author's point entirely. Or simply that we are altogether too concerned with appearances. Regardless, the AA-style meetings where the "fatty" is heaped with abuse--much of it from him/herself--is pretty tough to take. It makes you, the reader, complicit somehow. Anyhow, I stuck it out, finished the book, and found it to be odd, unsettling, and unlike anything I'd read previously. I did a little hunting on the Internet and found an interview with the author, Daniel Pinkwater, conducted by a woman named Marilyn Wann. It was quite helpful in terms of sorting out the author's motivation for the book. It was also especially sad given the fact that some of the more mean-spirited episodes are semi-autobiographical. The interview, for anyone interested, is posted at http://www.fatso.com/interview.html My personal favorite part of the interview is the persistent theme of arbitrariness. That is, Pinkwater (and a good many other people) are fat simply because they are fat, not because of some inherent character flaw. In much the same way, Pinkwater was hired on at NPR after already having (or so he thought) been hired on by some sort of lower-level production assistant--prior to the call from a producer that actually got him the gig with "All Things Considered." The upshot of all of it (i.e., life, the universe, and everything) is, of course, that stuff happens. So get on with it, and stop beating yourself up about the little (er, or not so little) stuff.

[elstaffe]

Pull quote/note
"'It's tragic,' Milton said. 'Here are two intelligent people, with a lot to offer one another, and instead of communicating, we just sat there, eating—wrapped up, insulated by fat—insulated from possible feelings.'
'Oh, no! Not this idiocy again! Has someone told you, or did you read somewhere, that being fat is supposed to be padding against unwanted or frightening emotions or relationships?'
'Yes. Something like that.'
'So, if you're fat, it's because you need a barrier between yourself and emotionally threatening stuff?'
'Yes. Isn't that so?'
'No. It is not so. The reason you're fat is that you're fat. That's all. You're fat for the same reason people have big noses, or red hair. It's one of the shapes people come in. It doesn't necessarily mean anything.'" (151)

[Ellice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not Daniel Pinkwater's best book. Perhaps his real talent lies in books for children, and it tripped him up trying to put together a book intended for adult readers (whatever those are). There was even one section (a lengthy excerpt from a novel written by one of the characters) that I skimmed. This is not normally how I approach his books.

That said, Pinkwater not at his best is still pretty good, and there were parts that amused me, kept my interest, and even made me laugh out loud.

If you've never read Pinkwater, I definitely wouldn't start with this book, but if you're a big fan and are trying to work your way through all his books, I would say go for it.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of hard to follow, but this was a very imaginative and fun read. It loosely follows the stories of multiple characters. The primary characters are large men named Milton and Milo (kind of confusing choice of similar sounding names). Milton is a large man who finds himself in heaven for large people. That’s where the story starts, but then it goes all over the place. Milo is a hotdog apprentice who writes fiction and submits work to Milton. There’s lots of romance and interpersonal drama usually revolving around diets and such. Idk, I’m not sure what all I can say besides it had. A lot of very silly absurd characters and over the top reactions to things. Fun.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and packed with goodies, and at its core some serious ideas about what it means to be fat in the world. Compared with Pinkwater's books for kids and young adults this one doesn't seem to have as much heart (and Pinkwater has never made it a secret that he's a fan of kids; grownups, not so much). But I enjoyed it all the same.

[Armando Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started really strong and really funny, then the storytelling kind of got away from it and became rambling and unfocused. Too bad because I was really enjoying the wry writing style and a lot of the humor was speaking to my New York sensibility.

[Wendy Johansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Portions of this I just skipped: the book concepts in italics just made no sense. It wasn't at all what I was expecting. Though written in a tongue-in-cheek way, I wasn't enlightened or particularly entertained.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

not sure there are words...I wonder how much weight Pinkwater picked up while writing this thing?

[Susan Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very strange tale of fat people's purgatory - Daniel's mind is truly warped!

[Miriam Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow. I have never disliked a Pinkwater book this much, not even his books of essays. Sigh. Oh well. Back to the kid’s picture books, which are the best!

[Emily Garrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the plot was fairly nonsensical, but what a ride.

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Below average, unfortunately, for a Pinkwater book. Although I do really like the idea of wereakeets...vampire budgies!

[Salma Marwan · Rating 2 out of 5]

i don’t fw this

[Chi Dubinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that answers the question: is there weight loss after death?
Milton Cramer, a lousy book editor, woke to find himself in heaven. Or he thought it was heaven—if heaven was a resort in the Catskills. Everyone in the afterlife is fat. And God is the stand-up comic.
Meanwhile, back on earth, there is a psychiatrist who practices in the Imago Luncheonette; a failed author penning a book about bloodsucking parakeets; and a weight loss guru in the style of Richard Simmons.
Pinkwater is a popular children’s author and commentator on National Public Radio.

[Barbara Moroch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh boy, is this a goodie! Daniel Pinkwater is noted for being a children's author, and I believe this is his only book (a fiction) written for adults. His writing style is smooth and simple - reading the book is pure joy. The characters are hysterical, the plot lines are equally hysterical and as an added bonus, there are full-scale stories within the story. Lots of Jewish humor and a must-read for anyone who appreciates outlandish plots with plenty of knishes thrown in for good measure!

[Stven · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Daniel Pinkwater's books pitched at adolescent readers, in which imagination and wacky humor converge with wonderful results. I don't enjoy his stab at a book for adults quite so much. There are still occasionally laugh-out-loud lines, but... here I am on page 109 and I'm taking the book back to the library. I think there's just not enough "what could possibly happen next?" in it.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book and entertaining characters, but it lacked the snap of Young Adult Novel and some of the other stuff I've read by him. But, it's still Pinkwater and therefore still delightfully bizarre.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I understood that this book was supposed to be hilarious. I guess the bizarreness of the book took away from the satire for me. it does skewer the diet industry and the after life, but I had trouble finding the humor. Too much of it just wanders around with no real destination. Not too happy with it, and I do like his kids books.

[Ian Bost · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe more like 2.5 starts. I admire the imagination of Pinkwater and the fact that the book kept going in directions I didn't expect, but I suppose I found the intended satire on weight issues and dieting to be kind of shrill--there was a lot of over the top fat shaming, for example. Nevertheless, there were some amusing scenes and droll touches.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is dry humor at its best. I can't remember when I laughed so hard at the cold hard truth. I can't help but be impressed with an author that squelchs my idea of Heaven, and offers comfort in that second slice of pie all within the first chapter! lol

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think this could be almost like douglas adam's type books but I couldn't get my head wrapped in it. A bit of a chore. An interesting concept, and some neat ideas about "fat" and the desire for thin. I am not sad I read it, but felt confused for much of it. :)

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel concerned with the fundamental issues of our times: love, sex, the problem of evil, the problem of literary agents, how to best prepare a hot dog and whether there is weight loss in heaven.

[Laurah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pinkwater is amazing! This one, eh, worth reading if you are a huge fan. This is one of his few books marketed for an older audience.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good Pinkwater romp for grown-ups! This is a man not afraid to call God fat. And no ph there...

[Dana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think this was the worst book I've ever read. I remember my fifth grade teacher reading kids books by this author. He should stick to kids books!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was funny! So many people say on this site that they didn't get it. They probably wouldn't get it if it came in a large bag marked "it."

[Greg Fanoe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could sort of see what he was going for, but this really lacked the oomph of (e.g.) Alan Mendelsohn, Boy from Mars or Young Adult Novel. He should stick to kids books.

[Judi Geer · Rating 4 out of 5]

He has that crazy sense of humor that I love! No jokes; just funny situations with a unique take. I have found myself laughing out loud once or twice.

[Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Starts off kind of cool and wacky at the beginning and everything gets sorted out at the end, but doesn't really go anywhere.