Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies
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| Author | Michael Ausiello |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Publisher | Atria Books |
Publication date | September 12, 2017 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | 9781501134975 |
Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies is a 2017 memoir by Michael Ausiello about his marriage to Kit Cowan, who died of terminal cancer in 2015.[1] The book is based on Ausiello's relationship with Kit Cowan, who battled with aggressive neuroendocrine cancer. Upon its release, the book was generally well received by critics, who praised its humor and poignancy.[2][3][4] It was adapted into the 2022 film Spoiler Alert.
The memoir is based on journalist Michael Ausiello's fourteen-year relationship with Kit Cowan, and the latter's eleven-month battle with aggressive neuroendocrine cancer.[5] An editor at Simon & Schuster became interested in the updates about Cowan's health and their relationship that Ausiello posted on his Facebook page.[6] Cowan died in February 2015,[7] and the editor reached out to Ausiello about writing a book about his experiences a few months later.[6] Ausiello decided to write the memoir as a way to remember Cowan, a process which seemed "almost [...] masochistic" to him at the time.[5] The memoir covers their relationship from their first meeting until Cowan's death. It includes their struggles with issues such as infidelity and Cowan's marijuana use.[5] In an interview with Instinct, Ausiello stated that he did not want to write a "fairy tale, sugar coated version of what happened."[8]