Last Resort

'Talent is rare, which is why I let out a big yippee reading Andrew Lipstein's Last Resort... Excellent'
The Times

'You won't read a more brilliantly executed literary romp this year'
Guardian

'A funny, fast-paced literary satire'
Daily Telegraph

'Incredibly entertaining... Lipstein milks the comedy of [his character's] traits almost as well as Kingsley Amis did in Lucky Jim'
New York Times, Editor's Choice

'If you've ever wondered where writers get their ideas from, Last Resort is wicked fun... A deliciously absurd comedy about literary fame'
Washington Post

'One of the best endings in recent memory... You'll think about Last Resort for weeks after you read the last pages'
Los Angeles Times

'So horribly delicious that the reader won't even dream of looking away'
LitHub, Most Anticipated Books of 2022

'If Less by Andrew Sean Greer left a hole in your life, good news: Last Resort will fill it. Fast and funny, it feels like a backstage pass to the book world'
Meg Mason, author of Sorrow and Bliss

'Fun and witty... Caleb Horowitz is exactly the kind of character I love to hate'
Claire Fuller, Costa Novel Award winner of Unsettled Ground

'Wickedly funny: I loved it'
Patrick Gale, author of Mother's Boy

'A rare accomplishment: a novel of ideas - about art, authorship, money, ethics - with the momentum of a great thriller'
Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind


When a bestseller-to-be cuts too close to reality, its author must make a Faustian bargain - both on the page and in real life

Caleb Horowitz is twenty-seven, and his wildest dreams are about to come true. His manuscript has caught the attention of the literary agent, who offers him fame, fortune and a taste of the literary life. He can't wait for his book to be shopped around to every editor in New York, except one: Avi Dietsch, a college rival and the novel's 'inspiration.'

When Avi gets his hands on the manuscript, he sees nothing but theft - and opportunity. And so Caleb is forced to make a Faustian bargain, one that tests his theories of success, ambition and the limits of art.

A blazing debut novel blurring the lines of fact and fiction: a thrilling story of fame, fortune, and impossible choices.