The Uptown Local: Joy, Death, and Joan Didion

Cory Leadbeater's memoir, The Uptown Local, is a powerful exploration of the human experience, featuring Joan Didion as a central character. It offers a poignant and intimate look at the fault lines of class, family, loss, and creativity, and is a moving testament to the relationships that sustain us in the eternal pursuit of a life worth living. Leadbeater's prose is hypnotic and pulsating with life and longing, making us see there was so much more to Joan Didion than just one thing. The Uptown Local is a spectacular debut that has received critical acclaim from publications such as the Financial Times, Guardian, and Cristina Henriquez.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 04 July 2024
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

A persuasive case for the argument that writers should write about writers:

"A beautifully written and deeply moving memoir" - DANA SPIOTTA

Cory Leadbeater, an aspiring novelist in his early twenties, was presented with an opportunity to work for a well-known writer whose identity was kept confidential. Since childhood, Cory had sought refuge from the rougher parts of life in the pages of books. Suddenly, he found himself the personal assistant to a titan of literature: Joan Didion.

In the nine years that followed, Cory shared Joan's rarefied world, transformed not only by her blazing intellect but by her generous friendship and mentorship. Together, they recited poetry in the mornings, dined with Supreme Court justices, attended art openings, and smoked a single cigarette before bed. But secretly, Cory was spiraling. He reeled from the death of a close friend. He spent his weekends at a federal prison, visiting his father as he served time for fraud. He struggled day after day to write the novel that would validate him as a real writer. And meanwhile, the forces of addiction and depression loomed large.

In "The Uptown Local," Leadbeater makes us see there was so much more to Joan Didion (to all of us) than just one thing. The book is a poignant and intimate exploration of the fault lines of class, family, loss, and creativity. It is a love letter to a cultural icon and a moving testament to the relationships that sustain us in the eternal pursuit of a life worth living.

"Leadbeater makes us see there was so much more to Joan Didion (to all of us) than just one thing" - GUARDIAN

"Poignant and intimate... a beautiful, heartrending book" - CRISTINA HENRIQUEZ

"At once tender and brutal, surreal and direct, cerebral and visceral... A spectacular debut" - LILLY DANCYGER

In conclusion, "The Uptown Local" is a powerful and moving memoir that explores the complexities of life and the enduring power of friendship and mentorship. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of pursuing our passions, even in the face of adversity. Whether you are a writer or a reader, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Weight: 426g
Dimension: 162 x 242 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780349127194