What You Don't Know About Charlie Outlaw

Written by Leah Stewart

Narrated by Karissa Vacker

"More than a glitzy Hollywood tale... It's a surprisingly insightful, even poignant meditation on stardom."--Entertainment Weekly ("Must List")

The celebrated author of The Myth of You and Me explores an untraditional love story through the lens of a character actor who must finally become the hero of her own story.
 
One of Entertainment Weekly's "5 Books to Read if You Loved A Star is Born"



After a series of missteps in the face of his newfound fame, actor Charlie Outlaw flees to a remote island in search of anonymity and a chance to reevaluate his recent breakup with his girlfriend, actress Josie Lamar. But soon after his arrival on the peaceful island, his solitary hike into the jungle takes him into danger he never anticipated.

As Charlie struggles with gaining fame, Josie struggles with its loss. The star of a cult TV show in her early twenties, Josie has spent the twenty years since searching for a role to equal that one, and feeling less and less like her character, the heroic Bronwyn Kyle. As she gets ready for a reunion of the cast at a huge fan convention, she thinks all she needs to do is find a part and replace Charlie. But she can't forget him, and to get him back she'll need to be a hero in real life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Audio
• Release date: Mar 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9780525527633

Leah Stewart

Leah Stewart is the critically acclaimed author of The History of Us, Husband and Wife, The Myth of You and Me, and Body of a Girl. The recipient of a Sachs Fund Prize and a NEA Literature Fellowship, she teaches in the creative writing program at the University of Cincinnati and lives in Cincinnati with her husband and two children. Visit her online at LeahStewart.com.

Reviews for What You Don't Know About Charlie Outlaw

[carriewuj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very entertaining, though it starts a little slow -- there is a density of detail, but it's needed later. The pace definitely picks up as you start to care about the characters and see the path they are on. The omniscient narrator gives us everything - the characters' inner thoughts and feelings, their pasts, their futures, all in little snippets, revealed at just the right time. The main characters are Hollywood movie stars: Charlie Outlaw is a sitcom rising star who has just given an honest, but damning interview that has ruined his professional and personal life with actress Josie Lamar, not quite washed-up, but a superstar in a fandom cultish show in her youth called Alter Ego. Charlie has gone off the grid to a remote island to hike and heal, and Josie tries to move on with her life, doing bit parts and taking auditions and riding off the lasting wave of fame and fan conventions. She is trying to decide if she should engage in a relationship with her former co-star, but truthfully, just wants to get back together with Charlie. He has not responded to her texts or posted on social media and Josie begins to worry, and here things take a Hollywood turn: Charlie has been kidnapped by native islanders who are protesting the incursion of a fancy resort. What Stewart does amazingly well is humanize actors - her powers of observation and perception about the nature of stardom and fame and the inability to simply be "normal" because they are so used to acting and occupying a persona give this book a whole depth beyond the engaging plot. Once Josie figures out Charlie's silence means he is in danger, she channels her former bad-ass character role to take action and to come to his rescue. Some of those insightful reflections in the midst of action include: "People mistake irony for disdain, but how without irony's blessed distance, could you avoid succumbing to every one of your raw and tearful yearnings, every ridiculous thing you feel?" (8) "People think they are asking for the truth, but what they want to hear is a different kind of fiction." (100) "It's a funny thing how people will say I love you to a stranger [actor] more readily than a person they actually know. What kind of love is it that can be offered up so freely? Who is it they love? Their love exists at the intersection of real and not real, like the performance that made them feel it." (127). This book has humor, wit, empathy, and a great deal of intelligence and has made me re-think the stereotype of "shallow" actors and has given me a deep appreciation of "deep" writers. Will definitely seek out more of her work!

[foreigncircus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was a surprisingly deep look at the tribulations of love and loss and stardom. Both Charlie and Josie are wonderful characters – you can’t help but cheer for them as the story progresses. The writing was vibrant and evocative, and the author skillfully portrayed the perils of both kidnapping and fame without judgement and without minimizing the impact of either. I was pulled into the story from the very first pages and stayed up late to finish because I just couldn’t bear to put it down. Highly recommended!

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to enjoy this book. In fact, there was a glimmer of hope in what I did read of this book. I got a third of the way in and put it down; intending to pick the book up again. Yet, when I got the time to do so, I felt no rush or need to want to pick it back up.

What I craved the most was humor and character connection. I didn't really experience either of these things from the bit that I read. Also, the story seemed to more slowly and without really rhyme or reason. With some more spit and polish, this book may have jived with me more.