A. J. Finn

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For other uses, see Daniel Mallory.

A.J. Finn
Mallory at HeadRead 2018
Mallory at HeadRead 2018
BornDaniel Mallory
(1979-01-02) January 2, 1979 (age 42)
New York, U.S.
Alma materDuke University
Notable worksThe Woman in the Window (2018)

Daniel Mallory (born January 2, 1979) is an American editor and author who writes under the name A. J. Finn. His 2018 novel The Woman in the Window debuted at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list and has been adapted into a feature film. Mallory came to attention in 2019 for lying extensively about his past in order to excuse personal shortcomings and illegitimately further his literary work and career.

Early life and education[]

Mallory was born in New York, and moved with his family to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he attended Charlotte Latin School.[1] At Duke University, he majored in English[2] and acted.[3]

Career[]

Mallory worked for several years in London at Sphere Books, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company.[2] He wrote The Woman in the Window, his first novel, while living in New York and working as a vice president and executive editor at publisher William Morrow and Company.[3] It debuted in 2018 at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list[2][4] but was criticized for key similarities to Sarah A. Denzil's 2016 book Saving April.[5] A feature film starring Amy Adams and Gary Oldman was adapted from the book. The film was originally set for a theatrical release on May 15, 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic was sold to Netflix, which began streaming it on May 14, 2021.[6][7][8][9][10][11]

Controversy[]

In February 2019, an article in The New Yorker exposed Mallory as having fabricated numerous aspects of his life and career, including having earned a doctorate from the University of Oxford, having suffered from cancer and a brain tumor, having lost his mother to cancer, having lost his brother to suicide; and of borrowing very heavily from the 1995 thriller film Copycat, without attribution, for his debut novel.[12][13] Mallory subsequently released a statement in which he admitted that his mother had survived her cancer and that his brother was also still alive. While Mallory has attributed his deceptive behavior to his diagnosis of bipolar II disorder, a psychiatrist interviewed in the aforementioned article noted that one "cannot attribute to that diagnosis delusions, amnesia, or 'chronic lying for secondary gain, or to get attention.'" The originality of The Woman in the Window has also been questioned based on substantial similarities with Sarah A. Denzil's 2016 Saving April, including a nearly identical final twist, though A.J. Finn's publisher argues that the plot points of The Woman in the Window were fully formed before Saving April was released.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ "Alumni: Class notes". Latin magazine. Charlotte Latin School. Spring 2018. p. 54 – via Issuu.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Weir, Keziah (January 19, 2018). "Your Book Editor Just Snagged Your Spot on the Best-Seller List". New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Bliwise, Robert (April 17, 2018). "Dan Mallory's 'Window' on success". Duke magazine. Duke University. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  4. ^ "The New York Times Best Seller List: January 21, 2018: Fiction" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2019 – via www.hawes.com.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Alter, Alexandra (February 14, 2019). "Similarities in 2 Novels Raise Questions About the Limits of Literary Influence". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  6. ^ Adams, Tim (January 14, 2018). "Daniel Mallory: 'Without Gone Girl I'd never have written this book'". The Guardian. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  7. ^ "Why Dan Mallory is grappling with the success of his author alter ego, AJ Finn". Noted. Archived from the original on January 27, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  8. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 3, 2020). "Netflix Negotiating For 'The Woman In The Window' With Amy Adams; Last Fox 2000 Elizabeth Gabler Project Will Be Let Go By Disney". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  9. ^ Walden, Celia (January 26, 2018). "Meet blockbuster British author AJ Finn - the man who says he "thinks like a woman"". The Telegraph. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  10. ^ ABDUL (August 24, 2020). "Woman In The Window: When It Is Heading On Netflix, Every Detail Fans Should Know]". The Digital Wise.
  11. ^ @NetflixFilm (March 4, 2021). "Amy Adams THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW On Netflix May 14" (Tweet). Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Parker, Ian (February 11, 2019). "A Suspense Novelist's Trail of Deceptions". New Yorker. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  13. ^ "The Woman in the Window author hit with allegations of deception, including claims he faked a brain tumour". The Independent. February 5, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.

External links[]

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