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The Spoils
An underdog love story set against the backdrop of Los Angeles' later Obama Years. Writer/director Colin Thompson's debut novel is a late coming-of-age story wrung from the sadness and madness of banging one's head against the moon on the fringes of Tinsel Town.
“THE SPOILS is a glorious meditation on failure, missed opportunities, and making your own wins. It’s about art and beauty and athleticism and other people’s wives, about taking what’s yours, losing it, and getting it back again, sort of. Colin Thompson has written an unapologetic and unforgettable a charming screw-up who, like most of us, vacillates wildly between extreme self-loathing and outrageous arrogance. He’s not a Bad Guy. He’s lovable and wrongheaded, frenetic and full of restless exuberance. He’s scathingly funny and outrageously inappropriate, a guy with a good heart who can’t catch a break.”
- Kimberly King Parsons (author of Blacklight & We Were The Universe)
Venice, California. 2014. Ryan Wilson, a once hopeful aspiring screenwriter is transitioning to hopelessness. The clock, the bank, the zodiac—they all point toward the exit door of this creative dream. Hapless and broke at 31-years-old, he finds himself one more sandbag for the hourglass, taking a job coaching middle school lacrosse in the affluent neighborhood of Brentwood. In a town and entertainment industry built on connections, a pool of wealthy parents is a great place to look for a guy with everything to gain.
And as luck would have it, a connection reveals Camilla Emerson Tourney, the wife of his Hollywood Hero, writer/director colossus Buck Tourney. Trapped in a crisis of her own—hers of apathy and routine—the attraction is immediate but is he just some sort of slum crush? A dive-bar holiday for a bored Hollywood Aristocrat? And what about him? Is she only magnetic because of who her husband is? If they met in Denver would he feel the same?
At times and at turns warped with polemic introspection, The Spoils is a ride through the looking glass of the young American Man. Neurotic, hedonistic, sensitive and tawdry, Ryan Wilson takes us along as he sailor dives into the murky waters of the battleground of infidelity and integrity, drive and success, love, status, and the ruthlessness of trying to make it in Hollywood.
“THE SPOILS is a glorious meditation on failure, missed opportunities, and making your own wins. It’s about art and beauty and athleticism and other people’s wives, about taking what’s yours, losing it, and getting it back again, sort of. Colin Thompson has written an unapologetic and unforgettable a charming screw-up who, like most of us, vacillates wildly between extreme self-loathing and outrageous arrogance. He’s not a Bad Guy. He’s lovable and wrongheaded, frenetic and full of restless exuberance. He’s scathingly funny and outrageously inappropriate, a guy with a good heart who can’t catch a break.”
- Kimberly King Parsons (author of Blacklight & We Were The Universe)
Venice, California. 2014. Ryan Wilson, a once hopeful aspiring screenwriter is transitioning to hopelessness. The clock, the bank, the zodiac—they all point toward the exit door of this creative dream. Hapless and broke at 31-years-old, he finds himself one more sandbag for the hourglass, taking a job coaching middle school lacrosse in the affluent neighborhood of Brentwood. In a town and entertainment industry built on connections, a pool of wealthy parents is a great place to look for a guy with everything to gain.
And as luck would have it, a connection reveals Camilla Emerson Tourney, the wife of his Hollywood Hero, writer/director colossus Buck Tourney. Trapped in a crisis of her own—hers of apathy and routine—the attraction is immediate but is he just some sort of slum crush? A dive-bar holiday for a bored Hollywood Aristocrat? And what about him? Is she only magnetic because of who her husband is? If they met in Denver would he feel the same?
At times and at turns warped with polemic introspection, The Spoils is a ride through the looking glass of the young American Man. Neurotic, hedonistic, sensitive and tawdry, Ryan Wilson takes us along as he sailor dives into the murky waters of the battleground of infidelity and integrity, drive and success, love, status, and the ruthlessness of trying to make it in Hollywood.
- GenresHumor
274 pages, Paperback
Published February 25, 2025
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 16, 2025
The Spoils follows a semi-likeable dirtbag named Ryan who is trying and failing to make it in Hollywood. Ryan is a bro's bro although a self aware one. He loves women, booze, and drugs, and seems to carry a football with him everywhere he goes. Yet he's also wracked with self-doubt and is both extremely arrogant while simultaneously very uncomfortable in his own skin. To make ends meet, Ryan takes a job as a middle school lacrosse coach at a fancy LA private school and falls in love with the step mom (Camilla) of his best player. The story goes from there as Ryan pursues Camilla while trying to rally his seemingly hopeless team Coach Bombay-style, if Coach Bombay hated himself, did hard drugs, and listened to Phish. Overall, Ryan is a pretty unsavory character and it can be tough at times living in his mind, but you do feel for the guy as he endures many travails.
Thompson writes from the mind of his protagonist in a rapid fire stream of consciousness that is littered with cultural references, mostly related to sports and music, and some of them are pretty deep cuts (Ki-Jana Carter, Chris Childs, Geordie Smith). The plot can be spotty at times, but Thompson's writing truly shines when the action centers on the lacrosse field where his knowledge of and passion for the game shines through. I loved reading the scenes where Ryan brings his players together through grueling work-outs and strange pep talks and the play-by-play description of the games was riveting.
I read this book pretty quickly as I found myself wanting to see what Ryan would think and do next. It's definitely an entertaining read that's worth checking out.
Thompson writes from the mind of his protagonist in a rapid fire stream of consciousness that is littered with cultural references, mostly related to sports and music, and some of them are pretty deep cuts (Ki-Jana Carter, Chris Childs, Geordie Smith). The plot can be spotty at times, but Thompson's writing truly shines when the action centers on the lacrosse field where his knowledge of and passion for the game shines through. I loved reading the scenes where Ryan brings his players together through grueling work-outs and strange pep talks and the play-by-play description of the games was riveting.
I read this book pretty quickly as I found myself wanting to see what Ryan would think and do next. It's definitely an entertaining read that's worth checking out.
July 24, 2025
This book was actually really good! My friend recommended it and I had no idea what to expect since I'd never heard of the author before. Found out he makes movies too, which is pretty cool - I watched one of them this weekend and really liked it so it made me want to review the book - which I also really enjoyed reading. I'm not a big "reviewer" but I liked this one a lot.
The book's honestly hilarious and it gets a tiny bit weird at times, but that's part of what makes it so fun to read. The main character Ryan is still relatable with all his random thoughts and self-sabotaging moments.
It's refreshing to read something that feels like it was written by someone you'd actually want to grab a drink with - someone who sees through the annoying people who somehow keep winning at life. Really enjoyed this one!
The book's honestly hilarious and it gets a tiny bit weird at times, but that's part of what makes it so fun to read. The main character Ryan is still relatable with all his random thoughts and self-sabotaging moments.
It's refreshing to read something that feels like it was written by someone you'd actually want to grab a drink with - someone who sees through the annoying people who somehow keep winning at life. Really enjoyed this one!
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May 10, 2025This book was a fun foray outside my typical genres. The main character is a lovable disaster you can’t help routing for. By midpoint, I was fully invested and just hoping for this guy to get out of his own way. Alas… All of the secondary characters, players, staff, parents, added great depth to the story. I laughed out loud. Overall a fast paced and enjoyable read that made me smile.
July 2, 2025
This is a funny entertaining work. I enjoyed the author’s take on junior high male perspective on life. I think he nailed it. I can’t wait for Colin’s next book.
August 28, 2025
Really loved this and hated how right he got things that stressed me out….
May 19, 2025
Sincerely enjoyed every moment reading this book. Not a lot of books make me audibly guffaw, but I laughed every time I opened it. It’s a fun romp and I would recommend it to anyone who wants something they can just fall into. It’s a great hang.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews