About the Author

by John Colapinto

Book Overview

From the author of the New York Times bestseller As Nature Made Him comes a “clever and entertaining first novel.”--Elle

Despite a severe case of writer's block, Cal Cunningham dreams of writing a novel that will permit him to escape from his life as a penniless stockboy in dirty and dangerous upper Manhattan bookstore. However, when his roommate is suddenly killed in a bicycle accident, Cal is suddenly the author of a page-turning...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060932171
• ISBN13: 9780060932176
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Flawed character brilliantly conceived

The cover blurbs and book reviews position Colapinto's first novel as a suspense thriller, but I hate to see it tossed into such an overcrowded, underachieving genre. Likewise, I think the critical comparisons to Hitchcock are only valid insofar as Colapinto's careful attention to character development make the protagonist's increasingly outrageous behavior believable. My primary impression of this book, in fact, is that it is a character study, more akin to books like "A Confederacy of Dunces," "Illywhacker," and "Tomcat In Love" than it would be to an Elmore Leonard or James Patterson "suspense thriller." And what a character Cal Cunningham is! At turns pathetic, sympathetic, despicable and delusional, I thoroughly enjoyed (and related to) his callous rationalization process as he basically steals another writer's work and muse -- and not just any other writer, but his dead roommate! When a woman from his past shows up with proof that he is not the author of the book that has propelled him to literary fame, and subsequently threatens to ruin him, his paranoia goes supernova, and in my opinion that is when this book really hits full stride. Although I thought that things concluded a little too tidily, the story is generally so cynical and the character so depraved that to me it was a comparatively small blemish on an otherwise brilliant book. I'm recommending it to everyone.

A real page turner

Despite having written nothing for several years, Cal Cunningham dreams of writing a novel that will help him hit the big time. But, on the day that he finally finds his inspiration, he discovers that not only does his roommate have literary ambitions of his own, he's already written a novel, a novel that is destined to top the bestseller lists. When a traffic accident proves fatal for his roommate, Cal decides to pass the novel off as his own. After all, it's practically his story anyway. What follows is a thrilling story packed with suspense. This novel is the story of what happens to Cal Cunningham told in his own words. It's a funny, psychological thriller that was difficult to put down and I would recommend it to anyone whether a fan of the genre or just someone with a few aspirations of your own

Complicated, bloodcurdling, and strange -- but good!

Wow, talk about a weird book! But impossible to put down! Cal Cunningham is a novelist wannabe, sharing a cheap studio apartment in New York and working as a bookstore shipping clerk. He lives a wild, womanizing life and glibly retails all his sexual adventures to his roommate, Stewart -- but he's totally unable to put a single word on paper. Stewart, a Columbia law student, has a secret life: He's been writing his own novel, based on Cal's own life. And then, just as a horrified and enraged Cal discovers the manuscript, Stewart dies in an accident. Obviously, since the life lived in the manuscript belonged to Cal, the book itself must also belong to Cal. Right? Any struggling, self-doubting, would-be novelist will wince knowingly at Cal's pouring out of his soul in this supposed memoir of how he deals with the complications of stealing Stewart's work, and then his semi-girlfriend, and will sympathize with him more than one would probably care to admit. The pace is headlong, the characterization is very good, the plot twists are ingenious, and this story would make one hell of a movie!

"PAGE-TURNER OF THE YEAR" FOR ME

When I heard about this book, I assumed it was another non-fiction book by Colapinto. The title alone is suggestive of a non-fiction work. Well, it certainly isn't in that genre. It's a psychological thriller of the very best kind...not a dark thriller but more of a light one. It's like a roller coaster ride -- a trip to hell and back. Colapinto has managed to take all of my favorite book elements and combine them in one story. I couldn't put it down trying to figure out just what would happen next.The premise is great. Cal Cunningham is a struggling writer who has hopes of one day penning a great novel. It's no surprise that he hasn't been successful since, for the past two years, he hasn't written a thing...not one page. He thinks about it all the time, and imagines himself as a best-selling author, but hasn't been motivated yet to put that pen to page. He spends his days at his job stacking books in a local bookstore. At nights, he spends his time carousing with loose women in tawdry bars. He shares a cramped NYC apartment with his roommate Stewart Church, a law school student. Stewart is such a bore and spends most of his time typing away on his laptop in the seclusion of his bedroom. When he comes up for air on the weekends, Cal regales him with stories of his ventures into the wild nightlife of New York. Stewart hangs on every word...and that's all I'm going to tell you. What happens next is unbelievable. One little event, one little decision made, one little lapse in judgment will put Cal on the ride of his life. Unfortunately, he might not be able to jump off when he wants to.This is the story of how Cal Cunningham becomes a best-selling author. It's by far the page-turner of the year for me reminiscent of other favorite page-turners like Scott Smith's A Simple Plan and Douglas Kennedy's The Big Picture. I can't say enough about this book other than "READ IT." I found out something "about the author" John Colapinto - not only is he terrific but he's also found a new fan in this reader.

Colapinto is a major find

With "About The Author," John Colapinto has taken the traditional tired old thriller and turned it on its head. In the current climate of cookie-cutter, mass-market, assembly-line novels, this one's a true original. It's been a while since I've been truly excited about the arrival of a new author. In the book, Cal Cunningham, a struggling, impoverished wanna-be author in New York City is startled and seething with jealousy over the fact that his law student roommate has written a flawless novel of his own. When the roommate dies suddenly in a traffic accident, Cal decides to have the novel published as his own work. Fame and fortune ensue, but of course, we all know that it's going to come back to haunt him or else this wouldn't be much of a story. How the book progresses from this point I won't divulge (unlike some reviewers who insist on putting spoilers in every book and film review they post)-- it's a wild, fun, nail-biting ride, and I wouldn't dream of depriving a single reader of the pleasure. Colapinto's characters are excellently written, particularly the character of Cal, who has a biting sense of humor and is a refreshing change of pace -- most thillers' narrators are supermen who are daring and unflinching in the face of danger...not Cal, who's a scheming coward but you can't help but love him anyway. The character who ends up threatening to expose him (I won't give that one away, either) is evil, conniving, greedy and impossible to ignore...you keep wondering what kind of fresh hell Cal will be put through next.Funny, exciting, thrilling, and with the perfect ending, "About the Author" is the best book I've read in a long time. I can't wait to read more from John Colapinto.