Last Resort : A Novel

Named a Top 10 Book of the Year by Slate
Named a Best Book of 2022 by The New Yorker
Named a Best Book of 2022 by Vulture
A New York Times Editors' Choice
Shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction

In his blazing debut novel, Andrew Lipstein blurs the lines of fact and fiction with a thrilling story of fame, fortune, and impossible choices.

Caleb Horowitz is twenty-seven, and his wildest dreams are about to come true. His manuscript has caught the attention of the agent, who offers him money, acclaim, and a taste of the literary life. He can't wait for his book to be shopped to every editor in New York, except one: Avi Deitsch, an old college rival and the novel's "inspiration." When Avi gets his hands on it, he sees nothing but theft-and opportunity. Caleb is forced to make a Faustian bargain, one that tests his theories of success, ambition, and the limits of art.

Last Resort is the razor-edged account of a young man's reckless journey into authenticity. As Caleb fights to right his mistakes and reclaim his name, he must burn every bridge, confront his deepest desires, and finally see his work from the perspectives of characters he'd imagined were his own.

Named a Top 10 Book of the Year by Slate
Named a Best Book of 2022 by The New Yorker
Named a Best Book of 2022 by Vulture
A New York Times Editors’ Choice
Shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction

In his blazing debut novel, Andrew Lipstein blurs the lines of fact and fiction with a thrilling story of fame, fortune, and impossible choices.

Caleb Horowitz is twenty-seven, and his wildest dreams are about to come true. His manuscript has caught the attention of the agent, who offers him money, acclaim, and a taste of the literary life. He can’t wait for his book to be shopped to every editor in New York, except one: Avi Deitsch, an old college rival and the novel’s “inspiration.” When Avi gets his hands on it, he sees nothing but theft—and opportunity. Caleb is forced to make a Faustian bargain, one that tests his theories of success, ambition, and the limits of art.

Last Resort is the razor-edged account of a young man’s reckless journey into authenticity. As Caleb fights to right his mistakes and reclaim his name, he must burn every bridge, confront his deepest desires, and finally see his work from the perspectives of characters he’d imagined were his own.