About the Author - Softcover

Colapinto, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1841156396 ISBN 13: 9781841156392

Publisher: Fourth Estate, 2001

Synopsis

Rare book

About this title

Review:

About the Author's Cal Cunningham calls himself a writer, but he's too busy--or too scared--to sit down and actually write anything. He spends his days working as a bookstore stock boy and his nights chasing tail in the bars of Manhattan. Sunday mornings, he spins tales about his conquests to his roommate, a reclusive, hard-working law student named Stewart Church. When Stewart is killed in auto accident, Cal finds in Stewart's desk a novel--a brilliant novel--based on Cal's own exploits. Cal is appalled, and then inspired. He sends the novel off to New York's leading literary agent, claiming it as his own. The book is a smash hit, and as he claims the rewards of literary lionization, Cal convinces himself that he is, really, at bottom, responsible for the writing of the book, if not exactly its author. Things get a bit more complicated when he hooks up with Stewart's ex-girlfriend Janet, eventually marrying her.

The novel convincingly portrays Cal's determined delusion that everything has worked out just as it was meant to be. As he kisses Janet, he thinks how "Stewart's ghost had turned out to be a benevolent specter after all, his spirit helping to shape my destiny, to guide both Janet and me to this moment." Which is all well and good, till Cal discovers that someone else is in possession of a copy of the original manuscript. Author John Colapinto weaves together a farcical tale of literary ambition and a cat-and-mouse thriller as Cal and his blackmailer pursue each other to the very death. --Claire Dederer

About the Author:

John Colapinto's articles have appeared in Vanity Fair, Esquire, Mademoiselle, US, and Rolling Stone. His first book, `As Nature Made Him', was based on an article published in Rolling Stone that won the National Magazine Award, was a New York Times bestseller, and garenered a Books for a Better Life Award for John. He lives in New York City with his wife and son. This is his first novel.

About this edition

• Publisher: Fourth Estate
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1841156396
• ISBN 13: 9781841156392
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272