The uptown local

As an aspiring novelist in his early twenties, Cory Leadbeater was presented with an opportunity to work for a well-known writer whose identity was kept confidential. Since the tumultuous days of childhood, Cory had sought refuge from the rougher parts of life in the pages of books. Suddenly, he found himself the personal assistant to a titan of literature: Joan Didion. In the nine years that followed, Cory shared Joan's rarefied world, transformed not only by her blazing intellect but by her generous friendship and mentorship. But secretly, Cory was spiraling. And, the forces of addiction and depression loomed large. In hypnotic prose that pulses with life and longing, 'The Uptown Local' explores the fault lines of class, family, loss, and creativity. It is a love letter to a cultural icon - and a moving testament to the relationships that sustain us in the eternal pursuit of a life worth living.