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The Book I Will Write
John Henry Fleming contacts an editor at Knopf because he wants to write a book. Not just any book. A book about love, fate, hope, dreams, reality, and “fantastic visions of dancing foxes sporting mirrored sunglasses.” Despite a polite brush-off, Fleming is soon exchanging emails with the hard-drinking editor, her lovelorn editorial assistant, and a desperate literary agent—all without having written anything but the dedication. After Fleming gets kicked out of his self-described garret, he’s forced to live in the local public library, where he’s stalked and later kidnapped by members of The Zeppelin Society, then threatened with murder by the son of a famous dead author whose book Fleming must track down for inspiration. Through his writerly trials, Fleming keeps up a virtual flirtation with the editorial assistant, falls hard for the mysterious library Story Lady, and makes plans for a book his agent believes will be a “vegetarian alt-history eco-thriller” featuring Michael Jackson as an organic tomato farmer with a plan to save the world. Will Fleming get his book written before he’s hunted down? Will he ever even start it? The Book I Will Write, told completely in email exchanges, is a hilarious send-up of the writing life by the author of Songs for the Deaf, Fearsome Creatures of Florida, and The Legend of the Barefoot Mailman.
209 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 9, 2015
I really didn't know what to expect from this book, as I had to read something from this author for class. However, I was pleasantly surprised. It was very funny and silly, but not over the top like the scary movie series. Also it's very quick read (I know, I took like 10 years to read it, but let's move past that), with quite a satisfying ending.
Do recommend!
Do recommend!
July 31, 2013
The Book I Will Write first debuted as a serial novel on Atticus Books’ website; like all good serial novels, this one was interactive. As each new installment was posted, comments from the readers could (and most likely did) influence the direction Fleming took with this story. I’m so happy to have the complete e-book; reading it all at once, rather than in installments, feels like a completely different experience. I’m pleased to report that The Book I Will Write makes for a delightfully quirky adventure, from the first page to the last.
The story begins with Fleming (the character) who dreams of writing a book – and not just any book. A book that will shake the very foundations of the literary world… if only he’ll start writing it. He emails a Knopf editor with his book idea, seeking her approval before anything’s started. The initial emails between Fleming, the editor Roberta Hollymore, and her assistant, Annie Lankowski are both humorous and realistic. I found myself highlighting a lot of Fleming’s amazing metaphors (Ex: “I felt in that moment like a vacuum to draw crumbs of genius from the shag carpets of my mind”) and trying not to laugh hard enough in my cubicle to draw attention.
What starts off as a three-way conversation between writer, editor, and assistant, quickly expands when Fleming gets kicked out of his home and has to fend for himself at the local library. Since he’s a writer (without having written a word, besides emails), certain shady individuals grow interested in him. Then chaos ensues. Fleming gets kidnapped by a Zeppelin Society, becomes Annie’s ex-lover despite never having met her, and discovers the lingering mystery of a famous book that has been all but erased by a villain who wants to keep it that way.
The fact that the said villain tries to fool Fleming by creating fake businesses like the Special Friendly Cuddle-Time Bookshoppe and Free MonE Place (located in a dangerous part of town with dark alleys and rusted doors) just added icing on the cake of quirkiness here. And kittenbunnies. I need kittenbunnies to be real, haha.
There are many funny parts in this book. It’s hard to name them all, and, honestly, almost every page in my e-book copy is highlighted with some witty phrase or philosophical moment. My favorite character has to be Martin Shill, the passive-aggressive agent. He’s way too honest for his own good, but it was fun to read his persistent emails to Fleming throughout the novel. Being a fan of The Great Gatsby, I also loved the Nick Carraway dream figure (you’ll see what I mean when you read it!).
What I love most about this book is how relatable Fleming (the character) is. There’s a bit of Fleming in all of us, especially if we are would-be authors trying to make our publishing dreams come true. He’s brave, superhumanly stubborn, and in a state of constant writing limbo – one we’ve all been in, however briefly, whether it's writing a manuscript or a Civil War paper due in an hour.
Although the novel ended on just the right note, part of me still wishes to find Fleming’s vegetarian alt-history thriller involving Michael Jackson and a secret society at a bookstore one day.
The story begins with Fleming (the character) who dreams of writing a book – and not just any book. A book that will shake the very foundations of the literary world… if only he’ll start writing it. He emails a Knopf editor with his book idea, seeking her approval before anything’s started. The initial emails between Fleming, the editor Roberta Hollymore, and her assistant, Annie Lankowski are both humorous and realistic. I found myself highlighting a lot of Fleming’s amazing metaphors (Ex: “I felt in that moment like a vacuum to draw crumbs of genius from the shag carpets of my mind”) and trying not to laugh hard enough in my cubicle to draw attention.
What starts off as a three-way conversation between writer, editor, and assistant, quickly expands when Fleming gets kicked out of his home and has to fend for himself at the local library. Since he’s a writer (without having written a word, besides emails), certain shady individuals grow interested in him. Then chaos ensues. Fleming gets kidnapped by a Zeppelin Society, becomes Annie’s ex-lover despite never having met her, and discovers the lingering mystery of a famous book that has been all but erased by a villain who wants to keep it that way.
The fact that the said villain tries to fool Fleming by creating fake businesses like the Special Friendly Cuddle-Time Bookshoppe and Free MonE Place (located in a dangerous part of town with dark alleys and rusted doors) just added icing on the cake of quirkiness here. And kittenbunnies. I need kittenbunnies to be real, haha.
There are many funny parts in this book. It’s hard to name them all, and, honestly, almost every page in my e-book copy is highlighted with some witty phrase or philosophical moment. My favorite character has to be Martin Shill, the passive-aggressive agent. He’s way too honest for his own good, but it was fun to read his persistent emails to Fleming throughout the novel. Being a fan of The Great Gatsby, I also loved the Nick Carraway dream figure (you’ll see what I mean when you read it!).
What I love most about this book is how relatable Fleming (the character) is. There’s a bit of Fleming in all of us, especially if we are would-be authors trying to make our publishing dreams come true. He’s brave, superhumanly stubborn, and in a state of constant writing limbo – one we’ve all been in, however briefly, whether it's writing a manuscript or a Civil War paper due in an hour.
Although the novel ended on just the right note, part of me still wishes to find Fleming’s vegetarian alt-history thriller involving Michael Jackson and a secret society at a bookstore one day.
September 10, 2025
Fleming explores the nuances of being a writer in an increasingly bifurcated world. Connected by language, relationships bloom and grow in the most interesting ways. Being a writer is difficult at best. Being able to express what it feels like to be a writer is what Fleming does throughout this tale for the current age.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews