| Vapor | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Amanda Filipacchi |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Carroll & Graf Publishers |
| Publication date | 1999 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 313pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7867-0617-1 |
| Preceded by | Nude Men |
| Followed by | Love Creeps |
Vapor (1999) is the second novel by American writer Amanda Filipacchi. It was translated into French, Italian, Dutch, Russian, and Polish.
The novel was praised for an energetic originality showcasing a “prodigious postfeminist talent.”[1]
Author Alain de Botton stated on its back cover: "Amanda Filipacchi has pulled off the rare feat of writing a novel which is at once great fun and extremely thought-provoking. She takes the Pygmalion myth and through a surreal twist, helps us to see the reality of human relationships with new, valuable clarity."
Author Dale Peck wrote, "Vapor is the funniest damn book I've ever read."
Contents |
Vapor is the story of Anna Graham, an aspiring actress who one night saves the life of a stranger being attacked in the subway. The stranger, Damon Wetly, an unconventional scientist, decides that he will repay Anna’s selfless act by making her dream of becoming a great actress come true. In a twisted reworking of the Pygmalion myth, Damon abducts Anna, imprisons her in a house filled with experimental clouds, and spends months putting her through a grueling training regimen which allows her acting skills to reach unprecedented heights and Anna to achieve her Hollywood ambitions.
A planned Warner Bros. movie adaptation of Vapor starring Sandra Bullock, Ralph Fiennes, Anjelica Huston, and Aaron Eckhart was cancelled at the last minute by Warner Bros., even as some media reports were stating that filming on the production had begun. Neil LaBute, who had written the screenplay and was about to direct, was subsequently profiled in New York magazine which described Vapor’s axing as the director’s “first truly bitter experience in film.”[2][3][4][5][6]
At the Irish Film and Television Awards, Ralph Fiennes said of Vapor: “It's a quirky dark love story—surreal, fantastic!"[7]
"Rewardingly escapist."—Time
"Wildly imaginative and intelligent, Vapor is as good as any long-awaited second novel can get."—Time Out New York
"Mercilessly witty and outrageous... [Filipacchi's Vapor] showcases a prodigious postfeminist talent. Her energetic originality never falters and her unforgiving eye for the fluidity of human weakness never blinks."—Publishers Weekly
"Original and beguiling."—Kirkus Reviews