'Vlautin is nothing less than the Dylan of the dislocated.' Independent on SundayAt twenty-two, Allison Johnson is a lost young woman in need of a new start. Down among the lowlifes in Las Vegas, clinging to drink and to Jimmy, the abusive boyfriend whose child she is expecting, she has hit rock bottom. So when the opportunity arises to escape, Allison knows she must take it. She reaches Reno with just a few dollars and her ever-present best friend - Paul Newman. And as she struggles to start a better life it is imaginary conversations with the movie star's greatest characters and real acts of kindness from people she barely knows that might just rescue her from the difficult world she has found herself in.'Vlautin has written the American novel I've been hoping to find.' George Pelecanos'A compassionate look at everyday, ordinary people struggling to make a new life for themselves in America.' Herald

Willy Vlautin's acclaimed debut novel, The Motel Life, was first published in 2005. He is also the singer and main songwriter of the band Richmond Fontaine www.richmondfontaine.co.uk whose albums include Post to Wire (2004), The Fitzgerald (2005) and, most recently, Thirteen Cities. Originally from Reno, he now lives in Portland, Oregon.