Origin of the One: a Novel and Other Pieces

by Thomas Arthur

Origin of the OneA disillusioned film school dropout flees to New York City, desperate to become the filmmaker and man he believes he should be. He arrives with a handful of notebooks and fierce ambition.

But his romanticized vision is violently undercut on his very first night. An encounter with a vulnerable Hungarian Prostitute forces him into a moral crisis. When he is met with danger and confronted by fear, he has to decide what kind of man he really is. Will his human instinct for self-preservation triumph over his altruistic sensibility? Or will he stand up to the threat that lurks at his doorstep?

Origin of the One is a searingly honest exploration of identity and self-betrayal. It’s the story of a young man trapped between the noble ideals he writes about and his own flawed reality. As he searches through the wreckage of his past, he must confront the simple, terrifying redemption requires more than ambition—it requires an act of courage to confront the "one" person he's truly been running from.

153 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2026

Reviews

[Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very unique, honest and emotionally evocative.

[Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very unique, honest and emotionally evocative.