Double Feature

A Novel

By: Owen King

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

An epic debut novel about a young man coming to terms with his life in the process and aftermath of making his first film - from critically acclaimed short story writer Owen King - for listeners of Joshua Ferris, Sam Lipsyte, and Chad Harbach.

Filmmaker Sam Dolan has a difficult relationship with his father, B-movie actor Booth Dolan - a boisterous, opinionated, lying lothario whose screen legacy falls somewhere between cult hero and pathetic. Allie, Sam’s dearly departed mother, was a woman whose only fault, in Sam’s eyes, was her eternal affection for his father. Also included in the cast of indelible characters: a precocious, frequently violent half-sister; a conspiracy-theorist second wife; an Internet-famous roommate; a family friend and contractor who can’t stop expanding his house; a happy-go-lucky college girlfriend and her husband, a retired Yankees catcher; the morose producer of a true crime show; and a slouching indie film legend. Not to mention a tragic sex monster.

Unraveling the tumultuous, decades-spanning story of the Dolan family’s friends, lovers, and adversaries, Double Feature is about letting go of everything - regret, resentment, ambition, dignity, moving pictures, the dead - and taking it again from the top. Combining propulsive storytelling and mordant wit against the backdrop of indie filmmaking, Double Feature brims with a deep understanding of the trials of ambition and art, of relationships and life, and of our attempts to survive it all.

©2013 Owen King (P)2013 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Is good writing inherited??

I'm a HUGE Stephen King fan, and so it's been with great interest that I've collected the works of his two sons, Joe Hill and Owen King. I liked Joe's work for sure as he is following in his father's footsteps. Owen, however, is his own man, and I really, really enjoy his style. He definitely has a great sense of humor which I think is so very important to a well-told story. While some of the things the characters do in this book might seem like a bit of a stretch, when you put it into the context of most of them being "Hollywood" or "artistic" types, it's not that far-fetched at all.

Owen King must've paid attention to his father's excellent ability for character development. Not to take away anything from the younger Mr. King - it's a compliment, really. I found myself wondering days after I finished this book what happened to the central characters like they were real people I'd been eavesdropping on for the last couple of weeks.

The narration was also very good - not distracting or annoying - but actually perfectly executed with a true and obvious grasp of the story by Mr. Graham throughout.

I won't rehash plot lines as the book description and other reviews will give you that. What I wanted to get across is that if you're a fan of good storytelling (regardless of genre), then give this book a chance. You won't be disappointed.

Cute, funny, strange

What a quirky, funny and strange book. I really enjoyed it. So well written! I wanted to see the movie that got made in the novel...I can only imagine!

Wonderful

I read the book that Owen co-wrote with his father (Sleeping Beauties), I didn't even realize Stephen King had a son, so I looked this book up and gave it a try. I didn't know what to expect... In my opinion this is one of the best novels I've listened to in a very, very long time. It is a coming of age story, but so unique and original, and oh so well written that it lifted my spirits. The narration was perfect. This book is time well spent and I hope that Owen continues to produce this sort of quality. (and stay away from his father's genre... I love Stephen King, but I like it when the characters (or at least the vast majority) make it out the other side... Great stuff Owen!, great stuff.

Outstanding

Lots of fun . Touched my soul too . Great ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book . Very descriptive but not laborious for the reader . Highest recommendation!

Great story and characters.

A great story combined with a great reading. This is one where I think the reading compliments the characters very well.

Fantastically written!

This was the first book I ever read/listened to of Owen King by himself, and I loved it!

A very well done, strange and funny tale.

*Life is a snapping turtle in the middle of the road.*

There’s a lot going on here all at once. It was fast and slow and deep and juvenile. (Yes, I liked the juvenile parts.) I’m still not sure wtf just happened here. But, I liked it.

Canning jars full of shaved foot warts, Orson Wells idol worship, one-hair mole prosthetic proboscis, 75 Things That Cause Unnecessary Fatigue, penis shaped floral arrangements, botched Mucinex overdose suicide attempts, duck call flatulence, mail-order airline catalog swag, a GTO in a maple and a goat horned tripod Satyr.

I am glad I gave this one a go. Owen has skills. Not just because “he’s a King” skills, but genuine writing chops. Otherwise, this thing would have been a total mess. I’m still not sure how he held all the moving parts together long enough to make it as entertaining as it was. Some truly classic and well-drawn characters here. Surprisingly funny at times with plenty of wit bantered throughout as well. Very nicely done.

4.5 Amazon/Audible Stars and Highly Recommended. (If you are strictly looking for an SK-esque or a Hill tale, then this may not be your huckleberry.) Definitely not horror and should not be compared to his King family namesakes’ previous works, but alas, I don’t think he will ever get away from that, unfortunately. That’s the life of a King, I suppose.

The Great American Novel for this generation

In years to come Double Feature will be considered one of the "Great American Novels" from this generation of writers. It is not horror or suspense; it is about life and tells the story of growing up in this age through the story of Sam Dolan an everyday college student working on his college film project. It is as beautifully written as Saul Bellow’s Seize the Day, and could become the Catcher in the Rye of this generation. The writing and storytelling in this book is exquisitely beautiful.

This book is the journey of the hero. It is very much a coming of age story as we see the main character of the story and his growth from a young self absorbed film director into a person. He is not perfect by any means and there are painful parts of the story that make you want to scream at Sam Dolan because you see the train wreck happening that you would like to stop.

Everyone who has made a student film in college, especially those that failed, should read this book. It is a way to relive the anxiety of giving birth to a movie and get it out of your system if you are holding on to the film making tragedy.

Amazingly, this book defines life of today in many ways born from dysfunctional families searching for meaning. Our lives have become so complex and probably the 75 Things That Cause Unnecessary Fatigue that Wesley lives by is ridiculous in a most entertaining way of portraying today’s complexity and yet don’t we all wish to be more misanthropic at the end of the day. The viral video, reality TV, cell phones and a centaur all make up the world of today and Owen King has described it perfectly, because we are all living in a TV documentary.

I loved this book.

A good first book. Interested in watching this writer mature.

It’s not in any of genres his dad would follow. It’s more of a literary novel about a father and sons difficult relationship. It is slightly slow at times, but I thought it was a good first work. I felt that possibly a really good (ruthless) editor might have seriously helped the flow and rhythm of the book. In fact, learn to edit like a serial killer. Remove anything that doesn’t keep the book flowing like a song. Save the bits and pieces for something else... maybe in your closet... next to the Co Ed’s.

great

it was good a little hard to keep up with sometimes but was very entertaining would prolly make a wild movie