WALKING PAPERS

by Jay Cronley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 24, 1988

Comic-novelist Cronley re deems himself after his stale Funny Farm (1985)--with the clever and entertaining caper of a writer who decides to get back at his ex-wife. John Grape is a novelist who has had one big hit--a mystery that became a Robert Redford movie--and a string of dismal failures, both commercial and critical (""A critic in Chicago wrote that when he was halfway through Chapter One, he became concerned that he was having a stroke and almost rushed himself to the hospital""). Now his young and beautiful wife Deloris is divorcing him--and taking him to the cleaners in epic fashion. Grape is left with little more than a burning thirst for revenge, and comes up with a truly Machiavellian idea: he will disguise himself, return to his former Connecticut home, court his ex-wife, marry her, and reveal himself! The fat and 40-ish Grape goes to a strict-regime health farm in Arizona and swears off cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine, gambling, even swearing. Then it's off to L.A. for dance and voice lessons, a hair transplant, and plastic surgery. Returning to the East, he begins his hilarious courtship of the unsuspecting Deloris--after convincing his agent to advance him money on the great book Grape will write out of all this. But all begins to go awry when Grape realizes that he actually still loves her--and has to debate about revealing his true identity. A little thin, but ingenious and occasionally even original.

Pub Date: Aug. 24, 1988

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1988

Categories: FICTION