Book Review: Andrezj of Hollywood

Reviewed by Akram Herrak

A gritty story exposing show business for what it is

Since this is a story about Hollywood, it seems fitting to begin this review with a film comparison. Andrezj of Hollywood feels inspired by the classic Vincente Minnelli film The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), which tells the separate stories of three characters in Hollywood and how they interact with one another and with the industry that brings them all together. Author David Schulze structures his novel in similar fashion. Three completely different characters with varying levels of involvement in the film industry must navigate its treacherous paths, all with their own dreams and with their own challenges. 

The novel, consequently, is split into three parts that all continuously interweave in classic Dan Brown style. We move from character to character in each chapter of this massive novel’s eight parts. Jacob is a film school student with dreams of making it as a screenwriter, Whale is an intern who is struggling to keep his dream alive, and Drew is an executive producer having a bit of an artistic crisis and attempting to rebrand himself. 

Characters are not the only thing the novel switches between as it progresses, for its style of narration is always going through changes as well, mainly between prose and script. Andrezj of Hollywood’s prose feels fitting with late-century American classics by authors like Charles Bukowski or Hunter S. Thompson. But it is a tale that feels wholly its own too—truly modern in scope and doesn’t shy away from taking pride in its time frame. It is filled to the brim with 21st-century pop culture references, which help it remain approachable and engaging.

The dialogue, written in the form of a film script mainly, is some of the book’s best work. Although it can be a little confusing in the beginning due to the abundance of the characters in very little time, it builds up quite nicely, and there is noticeable character growth as the story progresses too: a key element for the success of a novel of this scale. 

I am a massive cinephile and pop culture aficionado, and Andrezj of Hollywood reads like a dream novel to me, ticking all the boxes of a great epic story set in the magical land of Hollywood. 

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