Author Dan Mallory admits he lied about having cancer and his relatives all dying
Suspense novelist Dan Mallory acknowledged on Thursday that he doesn't just save the fiction for his books.
Mallory's debut novel, The Woman in the Window, was released in 2018, under the pseudonym A.J. Finn. The Woman in the Window instantly became a New York Times bestseller, and will soon be a movie, starring Amy Adams. This week, The New Yorker published an exquisite investigation into Mallory, interviewing colleagues in London and New York who said he told them he had cancer, that his mother died of cancer, and his brother died by suicide. Mallory was able to skate by while working at top publishing houses, they said, and lied about everything from job offers to education.
Mallory's mother is very much alive, and would not speak with The New Yorker. His father did, though, and said his son did not have cancer. "He has his faults, like we all do," he told the magazine. "He's just a tremendous young man." In a statement released by a public relations firm on Thursday, Dan Mallory said he "stated, implied, or allowed others to believe that I was afflicted with a physical malady instead of a psychological one: cancer, specifically." He is sorry for hurting people, he said, as this was "never the goal." He blamed his lying on "crushing depressions, delusional thoughts, morbid obsessions, and memory problems" caused by "severe bipolar II disorder."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The clown car cabinet
Opinion Even 'Little Marco' towers above his fellow nominees
By Mark Gimein Published
-
Ed Park's 6 favorite works about self reflection and human connection
Feature The Pulitzer Prize finalist recommends works by Jason Rekulak, Gillian Linden, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 fantastic homes in Columbus, Ohio
Feature Featuring a 1915 redbrick Victorian in German Village and a modern farmhouse in Woodland Park
By The Week Staff Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published