About the Book
In this electric and provocative debut novel, Tamblyn blends genres of poetry, prose, and elements of suspense to give shape to the shocking narratives of victims of sexual violence, mapping the destructive ways in which our society perpetuates rape culture, brilliantly brought to life through a multi-voice performance featuring Glenn Davis, Ben Foster, Marc Maron, Jason Ritter, John Roberts, Russ Tamblyn, Amber Tamblyn, January Lavoy, Phoebe Strole, Robin Miles, Thérèse Plummer, Dan Bittner, James Fouhey, and Michael Crouch.
A violent serial rapist is on the loose, who goes by the name Maude. She hunts for men at bars, online, at home-- the place doesn't matter, neither does the man. Her victims then must live the aftermath of their assault in the form of doubt from the police, feelings of shame alienation from their friends and family and the haunting of a horrible woman who becomes the phantom on which society projects its greatest fears, fascinations and even misogyny. All the while the police are without leads and the media hound the victims, publicly dissecting the details of their attack.
What is extraordinary is how as years pass these men learn to heal, by banding together and finding a space to raise their voices. Told in alternating viewpoints signature to each voice and experience of the victim, these pages crackle with emotion, ranging from horror to breathtaking empathy.
As bold as it is timely, Any Man paints a searing portrait of survival and is a tribute to those who have lived through the nightmare of sexual assault.
About the Author :
Amber Tamblyn is an author, actress and director. She's been nominated for an Emmy, Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award for her work in television and film. She is the author of three books of poetry including the critically acclaimed best seller, Dark Sparkler.
Her debut novel Any Man will be released in June of 2018 on Harper Perennial and a book of non-fiction essays for Crown in 2019. Most recently she wrote and directed the feature film, "Paint it Black", based on the novel by Janet Fitch, starring Alia Shawkat, Janet McTeer and Alfred Molina, currently on Netflix. She reviews books of poetry by women for Bust Magazine, is a contributing writer for The New York Times and is a founding member of Time's Up. She lives in New York.
Amber Tamblyn is an author, actress and director. She's been nominated for an Emmy, Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award for her work in television and film. She is the author of three books of poetry including the critically acclaimed best seller, Dark Sparkler.
Her debut novel Any Man will be released in June of 2018 on Harper Perennial and a book of non-fiction essays for Crown in 2019. Most recently she wrote and directed the feature film, "Paint it Black", based on the novel by Janet Fitch, starring Alia Shawkat, Janet McTeer and Alfred Molina, currently on Netflix. She reviews books of poetry by women for Bust Magazine, is a contributing writer for The New York Times and is a founding member of Time's Up. She lives in New York.
Russ Tamblyn is an Academy Award-nominated actor, dancer, choreographer, director, and artist best known as Riff in the iconic 1961 film West Side Story and Dr. Jacoby in David Lynch's cult-classic television show, Twin Peaks, as well as for his contribution to the art, music, and counterculture movements of the 1960s. His eight-millimeter films and collage-and-assemblage art have appeared in numerous exhibitions, including at the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Getty. He lives in Los Angeles.
Ben Foster is an award-winning actor and can be seen in the films Birds of America, 3:10 to Yuma, and X-Men 3: The Last Stand, among many others. He shared the SAG Award for Best Ensemble Cast for his work on the acclaimed HBO drama Six Feet Under and garnered a Daytime Emmy for his lead performance in Showtime's Bang Bang You're Dead.
Marc Maron, a stand-up comedian, is host of the Marc Maron Show, and co-host of both Morning Sedition and Breakroom Live. He has been a frequent guest on the Late Show with David Letterman and made more than forty appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brian, more than any other stand-up performer. He lives in Los Angeles.
January LaVoy, winner of numerous awards for narration, was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine in 2019. She is an American actress best known for her character Noelle Ortiz on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. In addition to working extensively in narration and television, including roles on Law & Order and All My Children, she has worked on and off Broadway as well as in regional theater.
Thérèse Plummer is an actor, award-winning voice-over artist, and counselor. She has won eighteen AudioFile Earphones Awards and has been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. She has appeared in a variety of television and film roles. As a counselor for adolescents, she spent five years using drama therapy techniques in individual and group settings.
Phoebe Strole is an actress and an Earphones Award-winning narrator who was a finalist in 2014 for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. She graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in drama. She has appeared on Broadway in Spring Awakening and in various films and television series, including Hamlet 2, 30 Rock, Glee, and Rescue Me.
Robin Miles, named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, has twice won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, an Audie Award for directing, and many Earphones Awards. Her film and television acting credits include The Last Days of Disco, Primary Colors, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order, New York Undercover, National Geographic's Tales from the Wild, All My Children, and One Life to Live. She regularly gives seminars to members of SAG and AFTRA actors' unions, and in 2005 she started Narration Arts Workshop in New York City, offering audiobook recording classes and coaching. She holds a BA degree in theater studies from Yale University, an MFA in acting from the Yale School of Drama, and a certificate from the British American Drama Academy in England.
Dan Bittner is an actor and voice talent and winner of several AudioFile Earphones Awards for audio narration. He has starred on stage and on the screen, in movies such as Men in Black, Adventureland, and the Producers: The Movie Musical. He has also appeared onstage as Macbeth and Sherlock Holmes in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Michael Crouch is an actor based in New York City. His audiobook narration has won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, numerous Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine, and Best of the Year accolades from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. He can also be heard on national commercials, cartoons, video games, and the animé series Pokémon XY and Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.
James Fouhey is an actor and narrator living in New York City. He received classical training at Boston University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. He has recorded more than forty audiobooks across a variety of genres, including science fiction, romance, young adult fiction, and children's fiction.
Review :
"Any Man is a genre-bending, gender-bending brilliant blowtorch of a debut novel, amplifying the complexities of sexual violence and the radical costs of survival. This book changes everything."
-- "Lidia Yuknavitch, author of The Book of Joan"
"An explosive, shapeshifting piece of literary real estate...Tamblyn takes every risk in this astonishing and innovative work, and succeeds, gloriously."
-- "Janet Fitch, author of The Revolution of Marina M"
"Author Amber Tamblyn puts listeners directly into the minds and bodies of four very different men who have one thing in common--each has been brutally sexually assaulted by a woman named Maude. Each man is expertly performed by a different narrator in a unique voice reflecting his age, background, and attitude. A full cast of award-winning narrators tells the story as it unfolds and circles back on itself through powerfully written prose, poetry, interviews, online chats, a radio show, and a TV talk show in which multiple characters interact. The result is well produced, intense, and challenging for the listener, who is forced to consider the impact of the violence and intimate nature of these assaults. A timely message--but not for the faint of heart. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award."
-- "AudioFile"
"Blends prose and poetry in a searing exploration of sexual aggression. Tamblyn is able to shed a harsh new light on how real, actual, pervasive sexual offenses are treated (and mistreated) in this country and the world writ large."
-- "Vanity Fair"
"In her first novel, poet Tamblyn nimbly flips the usual dynamic of sexual predation, writing about a female serial rapist who preys on men...The suspense of whether Maude will be apprehended and her motives understood propels this powerful meditation on the horrors of rape culture."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
