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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
New York, U.S.
Alma materDuke University
Notable worksThe Woman in the Window (2018)

Daniel Mallory (born 1979) is an American author who writes crime fiction under the name A. J. Finn. His 2018 novel The Woman in the Window sold millions of copies worldwide.[1] It debuted at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list[2] and the Times (UK) list. The Woman in the Window was adapted into a feature film of the same name, directed by Joe Wright and featuring Amy Adams, Julianne Moore and Gary Oldman.[3] It also served as an inspiration for the 2022 Netflix series The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window featuring Kristen Bell.[4] Mallory came to attention in 2019 for lying extensively about his past in order to excuse personal shortcomings and further his 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.[5] He went on to attend Duke University, where he majored in English[6] and acted.[7]

Career

Mallory worked in publishing in New York and London for several years, including in London at Sphere Books, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company.[6] 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, which published The Woman in the Window.[7] It debuted in 2018 at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list[6][8] but was criticized for key similarities to Sarah A. Denzil's 2016 book Saving April.[9] 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.[10][11][12][13][14][15]

Mallory’s second novel, to be published in 2024, is a thriller set in San Francisco about a young woman writing the biography of a celebrated crime writer.[16]

Controversy

In February 2019, an article in The New Yorker exposed Mallory as having fabricated numerous aspects of his life, including claims that he earned a doctorate from the University of Oxford; suffered from cancer, a brain tumor, and a spinal tumor at different times; underwent surgery for tumors; lost his mother to cancer; and lost his brother to suicide. These claims were used to advance his education and career and to excuse his unreliable behavior. He was also accused of borrowing very heavily from the 1995 thriller film Copycat, without attribution, for his debut novel.[17][18] 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.[9]

Bibliography

  • Finn, A. J. (January 2018). The Woman in the Window (First ed.). New York, NY: William Morrow and Company. ISBN 9780062678416. OCLC 1293226856.[19][20][21][22][23]

References

  1. ^ "A. J. Finn". HarperCollins. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  2. ^ Weir, Keziah (January 19, 2018). "Your Book Editor Just Snagged Your Spot on the Best-Seller List". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  3. ^ Wright, Joe (May 14, 2021), The Woman in the Window (Crime, Drama, Mystery), 20th Century Studios, Fox 2000 Pictures, Scott Rudin Productions, retrieved February 11, 2023
  4. ^ Shunpike, Stan. "11 Movies Parodied By "The Woman In The House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window"". BuzzFeed. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "Alumni: Class notes". Latin magazine. Charlotte Latin School. Spring 2018. p. 54 – via Issuu.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b Bliwise, Robert (April 17, 2018). "Dan Mallory's 'Window' on success". Duke magazine. Duke University. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  8. ^ "The New York Times Best Seller List: January 21, 2018: Fiction" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2019 – via www.hawes.com.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Adams, Tim (January 14, 2018). "Daniel Mallory: 'Without Gone Girl I'd never have written this book'". The Guardian. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ ABDUL (August 24, 2020). "Woman In The Window: When It Is Heading On Netflix, Every Detail Fans Should Know]". The Digital Wise. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  15. ^ @NetflixFilm (March 4, 2021). "Amy Adams THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW On Netflix May 14" (Tweet). Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ lindasbookbag (January 27, 2018). "An Interview with A. J. Finn, Author of The Woman in the Window". Linda's Book Bag. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "The Woman in the Window author hit with allegations of deception, including claims he faked a brain tumour". The Independent. February 5, 2019. Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  19. ^ Gutterman, Annabel (May 14, 2021). "What to Know About 'The Woman in the Window' as the Movie Adaptation Hits Netflix". Time. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  20. ^ "Secondhand books: the murky world of literary plagiarism". the Guardian. February 25, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  21. ^ "Novelist Dan Mallory admits to concocting portions of his real-life saga, including brain cancer". ABC News. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  22. ^ Elm, Joanna (February 10, 2018). "What He Did Wrong; What He Did Right : How A.J. Finn Wrote A #1 Bestseller". Joanna Elm. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  23. ^ Murphy, Chris (May 14, 2021). "'The Woman in the Window' Had a Particularly Rocky Road to Netflix". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
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