Previously titled Father of Frankenstein, this acclaimed novel was the basis for the 1998 film starring Sir Ian McKellen, Lynn Redgrave, and Brendan Fraser. It journeys back to 1957 Los Angeles, where James Whale, the once-famous director of such classics as Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, is living in retirement, haunted by his past. Rescuing him from his too-vivid imagination is his gardener, a handsome ex-marine. The friendship between these two very different men is sometimes tentative, sometimes touching, often dangerous--and always captivating.
This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.Christopher Bram is the author of eight other novels, including Gods and Monsters (originally titled Father of Frankenstein), which was made into an Academy Award-winning film. Bram was a 2001 Guggenheim Fellow and received the 2003 Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement. He lives in New York City.
"A fine novel...pointed, wry, observant, and wise. I virtually inhaled it in a single reading." -- Peter Straub
"An engaging read...Bram's prose has an evanescent quality that evokes his protagonist's fading consciousness." -- Bay Area Reporter
"Bram is, quite simply, the best American gay novelist going." -- LA Gay
"A glorious read from an intelligent and talented writer, and worthy of a space in your library." -- Frontiers
"A touching fictional portrait of old Hollywood and of one of the curious geniuses who made it what it was." -- Alan Cheuse in NPR's All Things Considered
"Witty, moving, entertaining, and enlightening... one of the most remarkable and satisfying novels to come along in quite some time." -- Island Lifestyle
"As compassionate as it is phantasmic... Bram constructs a compelling fictional narrative." -- Independent Weekly