About the Author

I read John Colapinto's pieces every now and then in The New Yorker where he is a staff writer, and they are always unfailingly good; most recently he did an article on grease - the fortunes that have been made and lost on used cooking oil and grease. It was interesting enough that I Googled the guy and found he had written a novel, this one: ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

It's an enormously compelling, gripping, "the-plot-thickens-and-then-thickens-again" kind of story about lies, literary theft, blackmail and murder." There's a love story of sorts in there too, along with some pretty kinky AC/DC sex scenes, and the book is not without humor. Set in Manhattan and rural Vermont, the book boasts some very interesting characters, particularly Cal show more Cunningham, the protagonist-narrator, an aspiring and then dishonestly-and-wildly successful young writer. There are constant plot twists which keep you eagerly turning pages. In other words, a very literary chiller-thriller which hooks you early, plays you skillfully, then slowly reels you in, for a most satisfying, if perhaps slightly unbelievable, conclusion. A sly look at what it takes to be successful as a writer in America today, not without some all-too-true digs at the publishing industry. A quick and entertaining read I would not hesitate to recommend. Colapinto is a facile and talented writer. show less

Colapinto’s (author of As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised As A Girl) venture into suspense and crime is a noteworthy accomplishment. This novel kept me turning pages and each time I put it down it called back to me. The novel begins with Cal Cunningham, a writer who struggles with writer’s block. When his roommate is killed, he discovers in his possessions a manuscript which has not been submitted. Cunningham decides to steal the manuscript for his own and submit it to a leading publishing house. Therein begins a series of events which keep the reader glued to the page. When the novel becomes a huge success, Cunningham is then led to the original author’s girlfriend, whom he eventually marries, and thus adds to the spiral show more of fast moving deceits and betrayals which can only lead to disaster. This is a great suspense novel, well paced and charted with characters you really care about. Highly recommended for the mystery reader. show less

Cal Cunningham is a typical aspiring author in New York City: arrogant, lazy, who would rather do anything but write. So it’s all the more galling when his reclusive, dorky roommate, Stewart, turns out to have written a brilliant novel. Then Stewart is suddenly killed, and Cal seizes the opportunity to become the novelist he always thought he should be.

He doesn’t just steal Stewart’s novel, but also his life, when he begins dating and eventually marries the love of Stewart’s life. Of course, there is always the danger that someone knows the truth, and when she comes forward, the story really gets going.

This is a fun book that possibly could have been a lot more. As we watch Cal’s lies unravel, as pathetic as he is, the reader show more still feels like calling out advice to him from the wings. The plot gets more and more tortured, though, and I had to wonder if the author had written himself into a situation he couldn’t gracefully get himself out of. show less

I may have found a new author to add to my list of favourites! This is the first book I’ve read by Colapinto and I have to say, I’m incredibly impressed – this is one of the best books I’ve read this year!

The writing is incredibly strong, the plot is inventive, thrilling and rather Hitchcockian in its approach, complete with a dark, satirical thread running throughout. From the outset, it feels very personal, like you’re chatting with an old friend who is regaling you with a tale of past misdemenors – it’s very engaging. I was compelled t take my time with it, savouring each chapter, every page, and found I was trying to jump ahead in my mind to work out what would happen next, but this kept me guessing all the way show more through.

To think that this was Colapinto’s debut novel is incredible – it shows the polish of a seasoned professional and a great deal of promise for his future projects - I’m now very excited at the prospect of reading more of Colapinto’s work! show less

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 show more he deals with the complications of stealing Stewart's work.

A sophisticated idea; but unfortunately mediocre execution. Everything is overstated and hammered home and the novel thus loses the promised elegance of the idea and becomes simply another trite thriller. But maybe that was Colapinto's aim? Whole idioms are set up nicely - the idea of a modern rural paradise being destroyed by an Apple Notebook is both funny and clever, but Colapinto overdraws this to the point where he seems to be condescending to the reader's intelligence and attention span (which he does throughout).

Some reviewers have compared this to "The Talented Mr Ripley" - but Patricia Highsmith has nothing to worry about from this outing.

Despite being deeply flawed, "About the Author" is very entertaining. It is -to use the cliche -a page-turner. It is literary junk food; it won't make you think. So if you want to indulge your sweet tooth, go ahead and give this book a read. show less

I enjoyed this book. It's a bit metafictional. Towards the end the main character, the author of the title, writes about himself writing the book and it's still all part of the book. A little mind-bending. But he's no Italo Calvino or anything. It's pretty much a page turner. Sometimes it seems a little far-fetched, but I was able to accept the premise pretty easily. A good read if you've always wanted to write a novel, but you've never actually written much at all.

This was a great find and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading it. Not only was it an easy read but it flowed and I found the pages flying by. I was expecting a thriller but it was quite a gentle thriller that built up over time. First person narrative is sometimes hard to focus on, it all depends on the style of narration but because I didn’t feel as a reader we were meant to warm to Cal Cunningham; I felt it was a good choice in a Bret Easton Ellis sort of way.

The story is about Cal, who is a penniless bookstore clerk in Manhattan. Having dreamt about writing his own book it looks like the chance to be in print has landed in his lap. His flatmate of two years, Stuart, has died in an accident and also had his own literary show more aspirations. What will Cal do with what he finds? Cal’s decision leads him into a rollercoaster ride of deceit and blackmail.

It’s a superb fiction debut, culminating in an interesting turn of events. The characters are well-written resulting in being able to visualise with them. There is one part in the novel that I found frustrating and it is a journey taken on the river. I could see its place but it just didn’t seem as well thought out as the rest of the novel. Having said this, he is still an author I’d happily recommend for his fiction. show less