Reiser disappoints in 'Babyhood'

Paul Reiser

Rob Weisbach Books

Much of the world is star-struck, enamored by the lives of the select few lucky enough to call themselves celebrities. As a result of this obsession with Hollywood, many famous individuals have begun to write novels.

Americans have been pawns in this game numerous times, and now, they have lost another match. Paul Reiser, co-creator, producer and star of TV's "Mad About You," and best-selling author of his first book, "Couplehood," has come out with a sequel, "Babyhood." Reiser is one of the funniest comedians gracing prime time today. However, his writing abilities hardly match up to his abilities as an actor.

Perhaps this is too harsh. For those who are used to reading high quality literature, "Babyhood" simply cannot match up. But for what this book intends to be, a comedic look at the very serious issue of parenthood, it certainly has its good qualities.

Actor Paul Reiser delivers a somewhat disappointing novel with "Babyhood."

Paul Reiser's writing style perfectly mimics his speaking voice, so his comedy which one might think would only come through by hearing his voice, is strikingly apparent. As a great comedian, anything Reiser writes will certainly be funny, and this book is no exception.

"Babyhood," a knock-off of the word parenthood, is an isolated autobiography of the few years of Reiser's and his wife's life, starting with their deliberation about having a child, and continuing until the baby is brought home from the hospital.

Reiser tackles such serious issues as how a pregnant wife and then a new baby can strain a marriage. But, to lighten the subject matter, he jokes about such issues by bringing to light their ridiculous sides. For example, a pregnant woman's food cravings are a dominant and serious part of a woman's pregnancy.

In one scene of his novel, Reiser explains how he woke up in the middle of the night to the cries of his hysterical wife, who, incidentally, was eating a banana.When he asked her why she was crying, she replied that the banana in her hand was the ninth banana she had eaten in 15 minutes. Here, Reiser's comic side certainly succeeds in showing the readers the hilarity and absurdity of this issue. While in some cases this works, his humor is not enough to make other subjects funny.

On his weekly TV show, Reiser captures his audience members and has them laughing out loud. As a result of his popular status and great number of fans, Reiser intended to write a novel that, like his show, would make his readers laugh out loud.

Try as he might, Reiser does not have the writing ability to make his readers laugh out loud. His fans are in for a disappointment.

One noteworthy aspect of this novel is that it is suited toward all audiences. While couples who have actually experienced this situation would probably find it much more amusing, it still has a great entertainment value, and scare factor, for those who have not even begun to think about bringing a child into this world. Reiser's style of writing is simple and easy to follow. And while his novel is not full of great literary devices and techniques, he does creatively bring his story full circle.

Upon completing the novel, the reader feels a certain sense of accomplishment. the reader has shared in the process of bringing a child into this world. Reiser's readers now have the experience needed to determine if they ever wish to be part of such an ordeal again.

For those diehard fans of Reiser, this comic autobiography is full of some good laughs. Reiser began with a brilliantly original idea for a novel that came so close to being a knee-slapping comedy. But he could not seem to succeed making his idea a reality.

Perhaps Reiser has just set such high standards for himself as a result of his universal hilarity that he was destined not to continue his trend.

His second novel, "Babyhood," is a letdown, and it is certain that if Reiser were not already a big star, few would spend the money to purchase this novel.

- Corinne Schneider

01-27-98