Synopses & Reviews
Inspired by real events, this brilliantly original fusion of novel, comic book, and film script is a celebration of the transience of life and the eternal difficulty of love, and a hilarious riff on our 21st-century infatuation with movies and the superhero solutionDonald Delpe is a troubled teenager. Not only is he a "terrible teen" by default, as obsessed with sex, music, videogames, and drugs as the rest of his gang, but he is also suffering from a life-threatening form of leukemia, which makes him an even more difficult boy, both for his parents and his teachers. Escaping into his own comic book realm of immortal superheroes, ruthless villains, and sex-crazed vamps, he repeatedly dashes his family's hopes by refusing to fight the battles facing him in the real world. As famous psychologist Dr. King is brought in to help, a glimmer of hope is rekindled. But will the doctor break the rules, betray the parents' trust, and risk everything to help Donald achieve his greatest wish? Or will Donald be the one to save the doctor?
Review
"Elevates a deceptively simple premise to impressive dramatic heights . . . a deeply satisfying narrative." —Publishers Weekly starred review of Show of Hands
Review
"There are enough lustrous passages in Spinners to give it a translucent glow—alien spaceship or not." —Newsday on Spinners
About the Author
Anthony McCarten is a novelist, filmmaker, and playwright. His novels, which include Death of a Superhero, Show of Hands, and Spinners, have been translated into 14 languages. Spinners was voted one of the top 10 novels of that year by Esquire, and Death of a Superhero was made into a movie that had its U.S. premiere at the 2012 Tribecca Film Festival.