Any Man by Amber Tamblyn

Any Man by Amber Tamblyn

"An explosive, shapeshifting piece of literary real estate, Amber Tamblyn's arresting debut offers a scathing portrait of American celebrity culture and the way in which it transmutes human tragedy into a vicious circus; victims are forgotten as likes and shares swirl, and 'news' becomes a squalid orgy, a lurid feast. Tamblyn takes every risk in this astonishing and innovative work, and succeeds, gloriously."

   -- Janet Fitch, bestselling author of The Revolution of Marina M. and Paint It Black

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In this electric and provocative debut novel, Tamblyn blends genres of poetry, prose, and elements of suspense to give shape to the shocking narratives of victims of sexual violence, mapping the destructive ways in which our society perpetuates rape culture.

A violent serial rapist is on the loose, who goes by the name Maude. She hunts for men at bars, online, at home-- the place doesn't matter, neither does the man. Her victims then must live the aftermath of their assault in the form of doubt from the police, feelings of shame alienation from their friends and family and the haunting of a horrible woman who becomes the phantom on which society projects its greatest fears, fascinations and even misogyny. All the while the police are without leads and the media hound the victims, publicly dissecting the details of their attack.

What is extraordinary is how as years pass these men learn to heal, by banding together and finding a space to raise their voices. Told in alternating viewpoints signature to each voice and experience of the victim, these pages crackle with emotion, ranging from horror to breathtaking empathy.

As bold as it is timely, Any Man paints a searing portrait of survival and is a tribute to those who have lived through the nightmare of sexual assault.

Amber Tamblyn is an actor, director, and author. For her work in television and movies, she has been nominated for an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and an Independent Spirit Award. She is the author of three collections of poetry, including the critically praised best seller Dark Sparkler. Her debut novel, Any Man, will be published by Harper Perennial in June 2018, and a collection of nonfiction essays by Crown will be published in 2019. She most recently wrote and directed Paint It Black, a feature film based on Janet Fitch's novel and currently available on Netflix, starring Alia Shawkat, Janet McTeer, and Alfred Molina. She is a founder member of Time's Up and reviews women's poetry books for Bust Magazine. She is also a contributing writer for The New York Times. She is a New Yorker.