The Author Weekend - by Laura Zigman (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The Devil Wears Prada meets The White Lotus in a story of colliding egos and shocking betrayal, as intoxicatingly ice cold as the pink prosecco that flows all weekend.

Everything needs to be just right for bestselling mystery writer Faye Wader's first-ever fan weekend. Her sales might be slipping--only a little!--but her readers still love her enough to pony up for three days and two nights on Great Misery Island. The retreat is precisely planned, from the small-batch artisanal doughnuts to the perimenopausal Mermaid Meditation, by Faye and her beleaguered assistant, Jade--an aspiring author who can't seem to finish her own novel.

Faye's longtime agent and editor will be there, as well as Faye's number one fan, Peggy Mercer, who has been first in line at every one of Faye's events. When news comes that the weekend will be crashed by glamorous, charismatic rival novelist Abby Schuss, Faye thinks things can't get worse ... until one of the attendees is found dead in her room, setting off an unexpectedly murderous chain of events that makes prepub anxiety seem like a day at the beach. How far is Faye willing to go to get exactly what she wants from her Author Weekend?

The Author Weekend is a thrilling and hilarious dive into the dark heart of envy, and a glorious exploration of a woman of a certain age desperate to survive the dog-eat-dog world of publishing and control her own narrative.

Review Quotes

"[An] alluring tale of psychological disintegration...Flashes of publishing-world satire lighten the mood as the weekend celebration turns into a nightmare."

-- "The Wall Street Journal"

"A darkly funny fiction packed with revenge, fandom, and catharsis."

-- "The Boston Globe"

"A sharp, gossipy, and hilarious satire of the publishing business. Readers will delight in discovering who ends up on the top of the heap [of bodies], both literally and figuratively."

-- "FirstClue"

"If Dorothy Parker were pasted onto Nora Ephron, you'd get Laura Zigman...This is the novel of the summer, I predict. Brilliant, fast-paced, and cinematic. LOVED IT."

-- "Elissa Altman, Poor Man's Feast"

"The Author Weekend is an utterly enjoyable, darkly funny, deliciously bingeable read. I loved every page."

-- "Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice and More or Less Maddy"

"For readers who savor behind-the-scenes satires of writers and publishing, this tale of epic egos and even more epic grudges hits the spot...If you loved Yellowface and The Plot, put this on your list."

-- "Oprah Daily"

"If you like a thriller that feels like a complicated machine with sharp, satirical edges, this is for you."

-- "BiblioLifestyle"

"In this sly closed-circle whodunit...Zigman delivers a fizzy combination of send-up and murder mystery. It's good fun."

-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Macabre [and] perceptive metafiction...A consideration of the dark psychological fissures that surface when people's loyalties are tested and their love is misdirected. Fascinating [and] entertaining."

-- "Foreword Reviews"

"What wicked, brilliant fun! A blistering and sharply observed satire about the monstrous world of publishing, celebrity, and being a woman of a certain age. This is a novel that holds nothing back, and its bold, dark delights are utterly gripping and infectious: I couldn't put it down."

-- "Mona Awad, New York Times bestselling author of Bunny and Rouge"

"Zigman excels at plot, and readers will enjoy the snappy dialog and clever wordplay throughout...Bookworms who relish a frothy, glossy murder mystery will love Zigman's. It's perfect for fans of the vacation-set TV shows White Lotus and Death and Other Details."

-- "Library Journal"

"The Author Weekend is about a mystery novelist who decides to host a fan weekend, à la [Elin Hilderbrand's] Hilderbabes, only this weekend ends in a surprising number of murders. I laughed out loud at many of the ways Zigman probes all the insecurities and jealousies that (sob) even successful writers have."

-- "Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of All Adults Here and This Time Tomorrow"

"The Author Weekend is as much a madcap romp through the world of publishing as it is a skewering of our culture that has made each character filled to the brim with anxiety, egoism, and insanity. Laura Zigman is wickedly funny and at the same time sympathetic to her people--a masterful balancing act."

-- "Jane Hamilton, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Ruth and The Phoebe Variations"

"The Author Weekend is so deliciously entertaining: a satire (is it though?) about writers and readers that takes place on Great Misery Island, features a hilarious invention called the Scream Muffler, and stars Faye Wader, the most narcissistically perfect author-zilla ever. Only Laura Zigman could turn the lowercase-d drama of publishing into an all-out thriller as bitingly resonant as it is absurdly funny."

-- "Catherine Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich and Wreck"

"A dark comedic thriller driven by envy, ego, and rage of a uniquely writerly variety...Zigman has about the most fun she's had on the page since her breakout 1998 debut, Animal Husbandry. It's a comeback for sure. A standout in the popular genre of literary-world satire."

-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Writers and readers alike will love this dark and hilarious novel about the mysteries of publishing. It's the perfect book club book that is as funny as it is thought-provoking. Laura Zigman fans rejoice! She's back with a vengeance."

-- "Alice Hoffman, New York Times bestselling author of the Practical Magic series"

"Dark, hilarious, gripping, and insightful, The Author Weekend is a send-up of the publishing business written by someone who has seen it all--the good, the bad, and the very ugly. Zigman is a master of suspense. I couldn't stop turning pages to see what would happen next, until I reached the story's perfect conclusion."

-- "J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of Friends and Strangers"

"A rip-roaringly entertaining novel. It gets five giant stars from me."

-- "Annabel Monaghan, New York Times bestselling author of It's a Love Story"

"The Author Weekend is everything I love in a novel. Brilliant, laugh-out-loud dialogue, unforgettable characters, and a rollicking, fabulously twisted plot. I thought it would be a perfect weekend read, but I greedily inhaled it in one sitting. What a gem!"

-- "Ann Leary, New York Times bestselling author of The Good House and The Foundling"