Synopses & Reviews
A young man made of paper is an unwelcome addition to a strange, anarchic city by the sea.
Michael was only 15 when a mysterious accident changed his life forever. Left for dead, he was rebuilt out of paper by his father. Ten years have passed and Michael is now an adult, still trapped in the paper version of his teenage body. To escape the stagnant life of his inland home, he runs away to the city by the sea, which holds the promise of art, adventure, and possibility of finally fitting in. Instead, Michael discovers the city is tearing at the seams. With rumors swirling that a militarized north will annex the city, newcomer Michael has more to worry about than the unpredictable seaside weather.
After being rescued from a rainstorm by Maiko, an unemployed fur model, and falling into a life of stability and anonymity, Michael's cruel high school sweetheart Mischa suddenly reappears. Michael becomes torn between his friendship to Maiko and Mischa's decadent underground art world. But when he finds himself drawn to the city's most notorious artist, David Doppelmann, Michael begins another dangerous transformation, one that will either lead to uncovering his true self, or ignite the city toward revolution and destroy him and everyone he cares about.
Part fable, part surrealistic journey, Gallagher Lawson's impressive debut is a gripping narrative about the nature of artistic identity and its tenuous relationship to the greater good. By creating an alternate reality that nevertheless mirrors our own troubled world order, Lawson has created a visionary, allegorical novel of our time.
Review
This bizarre, compelling debut combines the darkness and political intrigue of Kafka with the eerie hyperrealism of a Magritte painting. Michael, the Paper Man, is a highly unconventional and persuasive hero, and David Doppelman among the strangestarchnemeses? father figures? manifestations of the self?Ive ever seen in a novel. Gallagher Lawson is a weird and wonderful writer.”
J. Robert Lennon, author of Familiar and See You in Paradise
"The Paper Man is one of the most inspiring and original books I've read in years. Gallagher Lawson has written a lustrous fable comprised of loneliness, blood, and love. The Wizard of Oz on laudanum, a Bjork musical in letters, this devastatingly powerful debut challenges us to imagine what it would be like to be made of nothing more than paper, to live in a world where mermaids are murdered and art is the only path to actualization, a world, in many ways, not unlike our fragile own."
Samuel Sattin, author of League of Somebodies and The Silent End
"Gallagher Lawson belongs to the new wave of writers using fantastical elements to mine deeper into realist territory. A strong debut from a promising writer of agile talents." Shane Jones, author of Light Boxes and Crystal Eaters
Synopsis
Michael was only 15 when a mysterious accident changed his life forever. He was rebuilt out of paper by his father, and ten years later he is still trapped in the paper version of his teenage body. To escape his stagnant life at home, he runs away to the city by the sea, which promises art and adventure. Instead, Michael discovers the city is tearing at the seams.
With rumors swirling that a militarized north will annex the city, newcomer Michael has more to worry about than the unpredictable seaside weather. After being rescued from a rainstorm by Maiko, an unemployed fur model, Michael's cruel high school sweetheart Mischa suddenly reappears. Michael becomes torn between loyalty to Maiko and Mischa's decadent underground art world. But when he finds himself drawn to the city's most notorious artist, David Doppelmann, Michael begins another dangerous transformation, one that will either lead to uncovering his true self, or destroy him and everyone he cares about.
Part fable, part surrealistic journey, Gallagher Lawson's impressive debut is a gripping narrative about the nature of artistic identity and its tenuous relationship to the greater good, Lawson has created a visionary, allegorical novel of our time.
About the Author
Gallagher Lawson is a graduate of U.C. Riverside's Palm Desert M.F.A. program. He has worked as a travel writer and technical writer, and plays classical piano. He lives in Los Angeles.